WIMBLEDON, London: Ons Jabeur thanked the rain after battling back from a set down to beat Canada’s Bianca Andreescu and reach the Wimbledon fourth round on Saturday.
A single break in the first set cost last year’s finalist at the All England Club but she engineered a break of her own in the second set to level the match.
Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, struck first in the decider, opening up a 3-1 lead, but the Tunisian sixth seed broke back immediately.
The match was halted at 3-2 in the decider as rain returned to Wimbledon, resuming after a prolonged inspection under the roof.
The turning point came in the ninth game when Jabeur, 28, broke her 50th-ranked opponent to love and she sealed the 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win with an ace.
Jabeur will play two-time champion Petra Kvitova in the last 16.
“I’ve got to thank the rain a little bit for letting me speak to my coach and have a bit of perspective about the match,” she said. “I felt like I didn’t play my best tennis.”
Jabeur last year became the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam women’s singles final, also making the final of the US Open.
She said it felt emotional to return to Center Court after her painful defeat to Elena Rybakina in 2022.
“I love the energy, love how beautiful it is and hopefully I can come back and play more matches here,” she said.
Tunisian Ons Jabeur takes rain check as she reaches Wimbledon last 16
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Tunisian Ons Jabeur takes rain check as she reaches Wimbledon last 16
- Jabeur will play two-time champion Petra Kvitova in the last 16
Alcaraz defeats Rublev to reach Qatar Open final against Fils
- The Spaniard will face France’s Arthur Fils in Saturday’s final
- Russian Rublev fought back from 3-0 down to level the second set and then saved five match points
DOHA: World number one Carlos Alcaraz continued his unbeaten run in 2026 as he beat defending champion Andrey Rublev 7-6(3) 6-4 on Friday to reach the Qatar Open final, reaching the 12th summit clash in his last 13 tournaments.
The Spaniard will face France’s Arthur Fils in Saturday’s final after the 21-year-old beat Czech Jakub Mensik 6-4 7-6(4) in the second semifinal.
Russian Rublev fought back from 3-0 down to level the second set and then saved five match points, but Alcaraz ultimately prevailed to win his 11th straight match of the season.
“I know what I’m able to do every time that I step on court. For me it’s great. Obviously, the way I’m approaching every match, I’m just really proud about it,” said 22-year-old Alcaraz, who has been a finalist at the last four Grand Slams, winning three of them.
“It’s paying off, all the focus and attention. I’m just happy and proud about myself with how I’m getting better and getting mature I guess.”
Rublev made 14 unforced backhand errors in the first set, but outwitted Alcaraz with precise forehands that nicked the baseline as both players broke the other twice each to go into a tiebreak.
Alcaraz held his nerve to go 6-3 up in the tiebreak as a frustrated Rublev repeatedly smashed the racket on his left knee, breaking a string. Seven-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz then pretended to slice but landed a forehand down the sideline to win the first set.
Alcaraz broke Rublev twice to go 5-3 up in the second set and was serving for the match when the world number 14 saved three match points to break back.
But Alcaraz pushed to break again for victory in the next game, and finally converted his sixth match point when Rublev’s backhand landed wide.
Fils reached his fifth career final with a commanding victory over world number 16 Mensik in just over 90 minutes. The Frenchman — who suffered a lower back stress fracture during the 2025 French Open that led to eight months out of the game — committed fewer unforced errors in an otherwise even match, while saving seven of eight break points and converting two of five.
“Eight months without playing, watching others and staying in bed. It was a long and difficult ordeal. But today, the comeback is all the more sweet. It means a lot to me to be in the final,” said Fils.
