Elena Rybakina beat Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon to become the first player representing Kazakhstan to win a major singles title. The No. 23-ranked Rybakina, with odds at 100-to-1 to win the tournament at the start of the event, is the lowest-ranked women’s winner at the All England Club since Venus Williams, who was ranked No. 31 in 2007, but who was already a three-time Wimbledon winner and former world No. 1.
Born and still residing in Moscow, Russia, Rybakina avoided the ban on Russian and Belarussian player from Wimbledon due to the Ukraine war this year since she has been representing Kazakhastan, a former Soviet Republic, since 2018. Kazakhstan provided financial support to Rybakina when the Russian Tennis Federation did not.
This was the first women’s title match since 1962 at the All England Club between two players who were making their debuts in a major final. Jabeur, the world No. 2, was looking to become the first player from Tunisia and the first Arab woman to win a major title.
Rybakina, who finished fourth at the Olympic Games last summer in Toyko, started slowly, unable to get her big serve working as Jabeur looked poised to take the title with a relatively easy first set won. Rybakina, however, connected more of her powerful serves and ground strokes and blitzed to the second set. The turning point in the match came with Rybakina serving up a break at 3-2 in the third set when she fought out of a 0-40 deficit to hold serve and close out the victory.
