WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Elena Rybakina defeated Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the Wimbledon final on Saturday to become the first female tennis player from Kazakhstan to win a Grand Slam singles championship.
Rybakina is a 23-year-old who was born in Moscow and has represented Kazakhstan since 2018, when the country offered her funding to support her tennis career. The change has been a topic of conversation during Wimbledon, because the All England Club banned all players representing Russia or Belarus from entering the tournament due to the war in Ukraine.
This was the first women’s title match since 1962 at the All England Club between two players making their debut in a major final.
Rybakina is ranked 23rd. Since the WTA computer ranking began in 1975, only one woman ranked below Rybakina has won Wimbledon: Venus Williams in 2007 ranked 31st, although she had previously been No. 1 and has already won three of his five. career trophies at the All England Club.
Rybakina used her big serve and powerful forehand to overcome Jabeur’s combination of spins and slices on Center Court on Saturday. Rybakina ended Jabeur’s 12-match winning streak, which came entirely on grass courts.