Jabeur fends off Mertens to reach Wimbledon quarters
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London, United Kingdom | AFP | Sunday 7/4/2022 - 00:38 UTC+5 | 134 words
World number two Ons Jabeur reached her second consecutive Wimbledon quarter-final on Sunday, beating Elise Mertens 7-6 (11/9), 6-4.
The Tunisian fended off five set points for her 24th-seeded Belgian opponent in the first set tie-break to edge ahead.
Jabeur broke serve twice in the second set to seal the win and set up a last-eight clash against Czech player Marie Bouzkova.
The 27-year-old said she wanted to be a trailblazer for Arab and African players.
"I wish I could really give that message to the young generation not just from my country but from the African continent," she said.
"I want to see more players here. I want them to believe more in themselves and believe they can be here.
"I don't come from a rich family so you have to stop finding excuses and just go for it, enjoy it."