JAKARTA - Ons Jabeur of Tunisia made history on Sunday when she emerged as the first Arab woman to win a WTA (women's tennis tour) title, after defeating Daria Kasatkina of Russia in the final of the Birmingham Classis grasscourt tournament in Birmingham, England.
Jabeur, the pioneer of women's tennis in North Africa, won 7-5 6-4 and won the title after losing her previous two finals.
"I am very proud. I have fought hard and it was difficult for me to win the WTA title," Jabeur told the audience at Ann Jones Center Court.
Ons Jabeur: History MakerThe Tunisian trailblazer is the 1st Arab woman to:- Win a junior Slam (2011 RG)- Make a Slam 3R (2017 RG)- Make a Slam QF (2020 AO)- Win a WTA singles title (2021 Birmingham )- Rank inside the Top 70 - Currently highest-ranked ever at No.24. pic.twitter.com/gRvu05P9nr
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) June 20, 2021
“I have to be able to do it. I have to win this title just to breathe a little bit and also be an example to others.
"Not many Arab or Tunisian players play tennis, and I hope this inspires them to go ahead and score more. I want to see more Arab or Tunisian players, and they play with me," he added.
Jabeur, known for his creative techniques and trademark dropshots, previously lost to Kasatkina in the final in Moscow in 2018, but this time he managed to beat the Russian.
The moment @Ons_Jabeur became the first Arab woman to claim a WTA title #VikingClassic pic.twitter.com/f53hWL998J
— wta (@WTA) June 20, 2021
"Last time I played I lost and I cried. This morning I was thinking whether I'm going to cry and be disappointed, or am I going to celebrate?," said second seed Jabeur.
So happy to win my first @WTA title 😍🍀🇬🇧🔥 Special thanks to my team Issam & Karim and my fans around the world. Thank you for always believing in me 🙏💜Hard work and commitment always pay off 💪Thank you Birmingham! #Yallah #Grinta #TeamOJ pic.twitter.com/Z4QlStkbYi
— Ounces of Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) June 20, 2021
With that win, Jabeur has now won 28 matches on this year's WTA Tour. This achievement is more than any other player and is equivalent to world number one Ash Barty who has also collected 28 titles.
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