"A loss is always very disappointing, especially when you give everything you have on all levels" - Simona Halep's coach Patrick Mouratoglou on her semifinal defeat against Elena Rybakina
In the second Wimbledon semifinal on Thursday, Russian-born Kazakhstani player Elena Rybakina stunned the 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep in straight sets to reach her first-ever Grand Slam final.
World No. 23 Rybakina outclassed 18th-ranked Halep 6-3, 6-3 to set up a title clash against Ons Jabeur on Saturday. Before this, 23-year-old Rybakina's best result at a Major was in the quarterfinals of the 2021 French Open where she lost to Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Halep's coach Patrick Mouratoglou took to social media to congratulate Rybakina and thank Halep's fans for their support.
"Elena Rybakina was too good for us today. A loss is always very disappointing, especially when you give everything you have on all levels. But it is always to put it in perspective, and the last three months with @simonahalep have been amazing. Now time to rest before an exciting summer. A massive thank you to all the fans of @simonahalep who are supporting her the good but also the bad days. And special thanks to our amazing Team," Mouratoglou wrote.
After the match, Rybakina stated that she was nervous about her semifinal since it was her first appearance on Centre Court, but added that her matches on Court 1 helped her immensely.
“Simona is a great champion but I was really focused today and really happy with my performance. I was nervous, of course, but the matches I had before on Court 1 helped. It was my first time on Centre Court but the atmosphere I had before helped me a lot. I think today I was mentally prepared and did everything I could. It was an amazing match," Rybakina said.
Elena Rybakina to face Ons Jabeur for the 2022 Wimbledon title
A new Wimbledon champion is guaranteed this Saturday as Elena Rybakina locks horns with Tunisia's Ons Jabeur for the coveted Wimbledon trophy. It is the first Grand Slam final for both players.
Like Rybakina, the best result at a Major for World No. 2 Jabeur is in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Australian Open and 2021 Wimbledon.
Elena Rybakina
Ons JabeurFor the first time in the Open Era a Grand Slam women's final will be contested by no players from the United States, Australia or Europe.
🇰🇿Elena Rybakina
vs.
🇹🇳Ons Jabeur
With Jabeur winning two of their previous three encounters, Rybakina realizes the challenges she needs to overcome to etch her name into history.
“Ons is a very good, very tricky player and it’s not going to be easy to play her drop shots. But I think it’s going to be a great match," Rybakina said.