Wimbledon 2022: Rybakina beats Halep in straight sets, to face Jabeur in final

Wimbledon: Elena Rybakina defeated 2019 champion Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court to set up a Wimbledon final against Ons Jabeur. Both the 17th-seeded Rybakina and third-seeded Jabeur are first-time Grand Slam finalists. Rybakina is the first Kazakhstan player to reach a major final. Jabeur is the first Arab woman to reach a major […]

Wimbledon: Elena Rybakina defeated 2019 champion Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court to set up a Wimbledon final against Ons Jabeur.

Both the 17th-seeded Rybakina and third-seeded Jabeur are first-time Grand Slam finalists.

Rybakina is the first Kazakhstan player to reach a major final. Jabeur is the first Arab woman to reach a major final and the first African woman to do so in the Open era.

The 23-year-old Rybakina is the youngest Wimbledon finalist since 2015 when Garbiñe Muguruza lost to Serena Williams.

Halep, the 2018 French Open champion, had reached the semifinals without dropping a set but was broken early in both sets.

The 30-year-old Romanian wasn’t able to defend her Wimbledon title last year — after the 2020 edition was canceled — because of a calf injury.