Aunt Ons to Maria’s eight-year-old daughter. “I was telling her, ‘Are you going to support me or your mum’

Tunisian No.3 seed Ons Jabeur became the first Arab or North African player – man or woman – to reach a Grand Slam semi-final thanks to a 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 triumph over Marie Bouzkova on Centre Court on Tuesday.

The moment Ons Jabeur reached her first Grand Slam semi-final#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/c7z6F9UUYw

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2022

The 27-year-old, who extended her current winning streak to 10 matches, will next face her good friend Tatjana Maria of Germany for a place in the final.

Now her beloved friend and “barbecue buddy” Tatjana Maria stands between the Tunisian and the Wimbledon final.
Already Jabeur has been trying to establish an amusingly fiendish tactical advantage over the mother-of-two, who gave birth to her second daughter Cecilia just 15 months ago.
“I was joking with Charlotte,” laughed the woman known as Aunt Ons to Maria’s eight-year-old daughter. “I was telling her, ‘Are you going to support me or your mum?’ I’m trying to turn all the kids to my side, using the family.

“They are adorable kids. It’s so nice to see her with her babies on tour. I love Charlotte. She’s really nice. She’s playing tennis so it’s really amazing to see her. The little one is always smiling, great energy. I just love the family in general. They invited me once to their home. It was really amazing to be with them.
“I’m really happy for her [Maria] that she’s getting what she deserves. I know she struggled a lot. It’s not easy coming back after having two babies. It’s going to be a great match between us, a lot of respect, for sure. Maybe not be friends for two hours or how long the match goes, and be friends again at the end.”

“I was really tight at the beginning of the first set and I didn’t make my shots. I wasn’t feeling like it was me really playing. You have to take it each point at a time, each game at a time.”

Meanwhile, Jabeur has made no bones at any stage this Fortnight of her intent to win the title. She is certainly the form player, on a 10-match grass court winning streak including the title in Berlin, backed up by 20 wins from her last 22 jousts.

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Wimbledon  Ons Jabeur Tennis  Sports Administration Kolkata