With Iga Swiatek knocked out of the competition, all eyes are on Ons Jabeur as the next favorite for the title, but how likely is she to go all the way?
Having reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2022, Ons Jabeur has found herself in a rather favorable situation. The world No.2 has had an incredible last few months, having won the Madrid Open title, as well as the grass-court Bett1Open in Berlin. A commonality between these two events was the absence of Iga Swiatek, a phenomenon that has now recurred as the world No.1 bows out of Wimbledon at the hands of Alize Cornet.
Favorable situation
As the new standalone favorite for the title, Ons Jabeur has a relatively easy path to the finals. In fact, the Tunisian had only dealt with unseeded opponents up until her most recent match against the 24th seed Elise Mertens in the Round of 16. Arguably her most trialing match so far, Jabeur put the Belgian to rest in yet another straight-set win, though she was pushed to a tie-breaker this time around.
Now, Jabeur finds herself in the utmost favorable situation, as she is due to meet another unseeded player in Marie Bouzkova. Ranked at number 66 on the WTA ladder, the 23-year-old from the Czech Republic has never met Jabeur on the singles court, though she did recently fall to the Tunisian in their doubles encounter at the Eastbourne International. Regardless, Bouzkova has no notable feats to report that could place her at an advantage over her quarterfinals opponent as the odds are stacked heavily in Jabeur’s favor.
Ons Jabeur’s biggest threats
Despite the absence of the world No.1, there are still some noteworthy players that are sure to give Ons Jabeur a run for her money. Naturally, we must acknowledge the efforts of Frenchwoman Alize Cornet who ended Swiatek’s incredible winning streak in their Wimbledon encounter. Written in the stars perhaps, Swiatek’s 37-match win-streak would end at the hands of the world No.37.
In addition to this new threat, Ons Jabeur may have to deal with the likes of Paula Badosa should they progress far enough. In their last encounter, Badosa bested the world No.2 at the Stuttgart Open quarterfinals in what was a close contest. On the other hand, should Simona Halep topple the Spaniard in the Round of 16, she may become Jabeur’s greatest obstacle for her maiden Grand Slam title. The 2019 Wimbledon champion is well-acquainted with the pressure of major finals while Jabeur will have to step it up on new grounds to increase her odds for success.
Can Ons Jabeur win Wimbledon?
Ons Jabeur certainly has the game and the track record to go all the way at Wimbledon 2022. Her greatest obstacles undoubtedly come in the form of a potential encounter with either Simona Halep or Paula Badosa. Regardless of Alize Cornet’s impressive performance in outing the number one seed, the truth is that she has never beaten Jabeur before, having lost to the Tunisian on all three major surfaces. In that regard, the odds are stacked in Jabeur’s favor should the two meet, but the nature of the competition certainly provides plenty of room for upsets.
On that note, Ons Jabeur will have to take things one match at a time for a shot at the title, and that means giving it her all against Marie Bouzkova in the quarterfinals. The fall of Iga Swiatek should serve as a clear reminder for Jabeur that upsets can happen at any time. Opponents are never to be underestimated, and despite the “favorable” situation she finds herself in, Ons Jabeur will have to acknowledge the successes of Bouzkova so far in taking down the 7th and 28th seeds en route to the quarterfinals.
With that being said, the verdict on the situation is that anything can happen in tennis, but if we were to narrow it down to a tournament favorite then Ons Jabeur has the results and stats to take the title. Her recent success at the German Open combined with her impressive Wimbledon run thus far provides more than enough woodchucks for the Tunisian to secure the title. Factoring in her increasing confidence stemming from positive tournament results in addition to her favorable odds from an analytical standpoint, Ons Jabeur is in a great position to seal the 2022 Wimbledon title for her first-ever Grand Slam career record.
Go Jabeur. Really exciting player and seems to be a lovable character to add.