Ons Jabeur narrowly missed out on last year’s Wimbledon title, but the Tunisian player is anticipated to seize this year’s championship opportunity at the All England Club.
Jabeur experienced defeat to Elena Rybakina in last year’s final, and will now face off against unseeded Marketa Vondrousova for this year’s trophy. While the Czech player Vondrousova, with previous experience in a grand slam final, is no stranger to the grass, Jabeur’s familiarity with high-pressure situations might prove advantageous.
In 2023, Vondrousova has already claimed victory over Jabeur twice – in the Australian Open and at Indian Wells. However, with a personal scoreline evenly matched at 3-3, Jabeur’s performance in the first half of the year may have been a strategic move to prepare for another shot at Wimbledon, where she nearly tasted success last year.
Seeded sixth at Wimbledon this year, Jabeur has a past grass-court win against Vondrousova under her belt, from Eastbourne two years ago. Since then, the Tunisian player has noticeably improved her game on this surface.
In her last two matches, the 28-year-old Jabeur managed to turn things around after initially losing the opening set, defeating top players Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion. This displays her growing confidence and competitive spirit.
Once, Jabeur confessed, falling behind would have rattled her. Today, she’s a fierce contender, especially on grass.
Vondrousova is an equally tenacious player, though. It would be unwise to downplay the 24-year-old left-handed player’s potential, especially given her substantial growth since the 2019 French Open final against Ashleigh Barty.
Vondrousova has earned respect by defeating a string of formidable players to reach this point, a fact that suggests Jabeur will need to bring her best game to clinch the title that slipped away from her a year ago.
As for wagering, backing Jabeur to win either 2-0 or 2-1 in set betting—placing two-thirds of the stake on the former and one-third on the latter—might be a prudent strategy.
In the tournament, Jabeur has lost three sets, while Vondrousova has lost two. Jabeur’s losses came against powerhouse players Andreescu, Rybakina, and Sabalenka, while Vondrousova was challenged by Bouzkova and Pegula.
However, considering Jabeur’s outstanding first-service points percentage in critical matches against Rybakina and Sabalenka, Vondrousova might find it challenging to keep up with such a formidable adversary.
