Elena Rybakina charts history to win Wimbledon Women's Singles 2022

She becomes the first from her country to win a Grand Slam.

Elena Rybakina came from a set down to clinch the 2022 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London. She wins the Women’s Singles category by defeating Ons Jabeur in the final thanks to a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win. 

The third seed Tunisian was the favourite, at least on paper, coming into the blockbuster final. However, it was the 17th seed that rose to the occasion and took away the Venus Rosewater Dish.

In a historical feat, Elena Rybakina becomes the first tennis player from Kazakhstan to win a Grand Slam singles title in tennis. Furthermore, the 23-year-old is the youngest player to win the title since 2011. The feat is even more impressive because Rybakina becomes the first-ever Asian to win the singles title at the Wimbledon Championships.

An Unbelievable Feat

Elena Rybakina was calm on the outside after winning the ultimate tie against Ons Jabeur. The celebrations were on the calmer side but she was full of nerves on the inside. “I’m actually speechless,” she was quoted as saying after the match in her interview. 

The Women’s Singles champion further went on to say, “It’s true I did not expect to be in the second week of a Grand Slam at Wimbledon. To be a winner is just amazing. I don’t have the words to say how happy I am. But I wouldn’t be here without my team of course, so I want to say a big thanks to them. I want to say thanks to my coach, my sponsors, everyone.”

She also reserved praise for her family and thanked them for their support. “The most important is my parents, of course, they are not here so I am very sorry. My sister is here and it is just the third time she comes to watch, so I’m happy she is here. Without my parents, I wouldn’t be here for sure. Thank you so much, everyone.” she added in this regard.

A Dream Unfulfilled

Even before coming into the final tie against Elena Rybakina, One Jabeur made history by becoming the first Tunisian, Arab or African woman to play in a Grand Slam final. Being the World No.2 in singles, she was the outright favourite. She won the first set easily by 6-3 but lost her way in the second and third.

“I love Wimbledon so much and I feel really sad but it’s tennis, there’s only one winner. I’m trying to inspire many generations from my country. I hope they are listening. I also want to thank his beautiful crowd for all their support over the two weeks. It’s been amazing. I want to wish Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating,” the visibly distraught 27-year-old expressed in her post-match interview. 

Men’s Doubles 

Second seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic of Croatia met Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell of Australia in the final. The Aussies had caused a huge upset in the semi-final by defeating the top seed Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram in the run-up to the championship game. It took five sets to decide the highly entertaining clash between both pairs.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.