Damien Kayat previews Ons Jabeur taking on Marketa Vondrousova in the final of the Wimbledon Championships on the 15th of July 2023.
Ons Jabeur vs Marketa Vondrousova
Wimbledon Championships – Final
Saturday 15 July
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, England
Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur’s comeback win against Belarusian powerhouse Aryna Sabalenka was one of the most popular results of this year’s championships. The 27-year-old Tunisian is widely adored for her mischievous sense of humour and genuinely warm demeanour.
And Sabalenka has been cast as one of this year’s villains due to Belarus’ role in the entire Ukraine saga. The Belarusian dominated the early exchanges and had Jabeur on the ropes, leading by a set and 4-2 up in the 2nd. But I knew that Jabeur’s crafty style would ultimately pay dividends.
The Tunisian upped the aggression and started to play her best tennis under pressure. And it’s not as if Sabalenka folded. Jabeur would ultimately need five match-points to take down the big-hitting Belarusian.
Say what?? Wanna see me in the finals?? I SAY YES WIMBLEDON 🔥 🔥 Let’s go!!! pic.twitter.com/eNkKdQuDuK
— Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) July 13, 2023
Jabeur is arguably the most ‘important’ player of this generation, opening doors for future generations of both Arab and African players. And she has shown herself to be arguably the best grass-court player in the world over the past few seasons.
Her victory over Sabalenka makes her the first woman since Serena Williams- in 2018 and 2019- to reach back-to-back Wimbledon finals (such has been the volatility of the women’s game). Jabeur has also now reached her 3rd Grand Slam final in the space of a year.
She possesses a wonderfully varied style that allows her to move through the gears in a grass-court match. She can look to overpower opponents but is equally comfortable playing chip-and-slice tennis.
Her last two victories against Rybakina and Sabalenka highlighted her ability to absorb power and counterpunch effectively. Next up she takes on the first unseeded woman to reach the final here in the Open Era: Marketa Vondrousova.
Ons Jabeur 47/100 | Marketa Vondrousova 33/20
Marketa Vondrousova 33/20
Speaking of groundbreaking tennis players, Czech lefty Marketa Vondrousova has been doing her best to make the drop-shot a little more mainstream. Vondrousova has had to negotiate a series of debilitating injuries throughout her relatively short career.
She missed the last six months of last season due to wrist surgery and I don’t think she could even have envisaged this turnaround. Back-to-back 4th round finishes at the ‘Sunshine Double’ hinted at her abilities.
But an underwhelming showing at the French Open- where she reached her maiden Grand Slam final in 2019- seemed to suggest that she would be little more than an intriguing dark horse at this year’s championships.
But the Czech has defied all expectations with an absolutely unbelievable run to this year’s final. And- much like her heavily tattooed appearance- there has been something a little offbeat about the way she has gone about it.
Marketa Vondrousova is a #Wimbledon finalist 👏
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 13, 2023
The 24-year-old defeats Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-3 to reach her second Grand Slam final pic.twitter.com/zcGBtItA0L
I can’t remember the last time that a drop-shot was the key weapon of a Wimbledon finalist. But Vondrousova has expertly used her disguised drop-shot throughout the tournament, destabilizing players who robotically stick to the baseline.
This was clearly evident against the likes of Kudermetova and Vekic. But she has also shown the ability to go back to basics and duke it out in extended baseline exchanges. This was particularly evident against Jessica Pegula in their quarterfinal meeting.
Her drop-shot scare tactics weren’t getting the job done and she was forced to just go toe-to-toe with the big-hitting American from the baseline. And I think she genuinely surprised Pegula, forcing the American into a string of errors. She just ended the fairytale run of Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in pretty comfortable fashion.
I was actually surprised at just how passive Svitolina was, allowing Vondrousova to really dictate the tempo of the match. In any event, the Czech hit an impressive 22 winners in that straight-sets win, winning a handy 74% of her first-serve points in the process.
Verdict: Vondrousova to win in three at 48/10
These two share the head-to-head spoils at three wins apiece. Jabeur won their only previous grass-court encounter but the Czech leads the Tunisian 2-0 this year (those wins coming at the Aussie Open and Indian Wells Masters).
This will be one of the purists, with both ladies using idiosyncratic styles that almost harken back to another era. Both Jabeur and Vondrousova like to draw their opponents forward with either slice or drop-shots. Vondrousova is an accomplished doubles player who arguably has the edge when it comes to net coverage.
I really think this one is going to be a tight affair and the Czech’s brilliant net coverage could turn out to be a decisive factor. I also think the brutal hitting power she showcased against Pegula is a sign that she isn’t a one-trick pony.
