"Cheers to Ons Jabeur, who has made history" - Billie Jean King and Brandi Chastain shower praise on Ons Jabeur following historical achievement
Tennis icon Billie Jean King and US football legend Brandi Chastain were full of praise for Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur as she became the first African woman to reach the US Open semifinals in the Open era. The Tunisian overcame Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 7-6(4) in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Chastain and King took to Twitter to congratulate the current World No. 5 following her second consecutive straight-sets victory.
"Cheers to @Ons_Jabeur, who has made history as the first African woman to reach the #USOpen semifinal in the Open Era," tweeted King.
"Go on ONS! So amazing to see women making history right before our eyes," tweeted Chastain.
Cheers to @Ons_Jabeur, who has made history as the first African woman to reach the #USOpen semifinal in the Open Era. twitter.com/usopen/status/…
Jabeur's form has been up-and-down in recent months. She fell just short of a maiden Wimbledon title after losing to Elena Rybakina, despite winning the first set. Unfortunately, the 28-year-old was not able to build on that momentum as she only made it as far as the quarterfinals at one of her following three tournaments.
Jabeur has now booked herself a semi-final spot against France's Caroline Garcia, which will undoubtedly be a tightly contested match.
King and Chastain, along with the rest of the tennis world, will have their eyes firmly fixed on the African star as they witness history in the making.
"There can only be one" - Billie Jean King comemmorates Serena Williams following her US Open exit
Billie Jean King commemorated Serena Williams' illustrious career following her US Open third-round defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday.
"There can be only one. #ThankYouSerena," tweeted King.
Williams came into the tournament following a first-round defeat against Emma Raducanu at the Western & Southern Open, but knew that she had the support of the crowd in the season's final Major. The home crowd proved effective as the 23-time Grand Slam champion won her first two matches. Unfortunately, Williams' journey came to an end against an impressive Tomljanovic.
Congratulations poured in from all around the world as the 40-year-old bid farewell to the sport. King has been a big supporter of Williams over the years and could not be prouder of her fellow American and what she has managed to achieve both on and off the court.
There can be only one.
#ThankYouSerena twitter.com/wta/status/156…