Elena Rybakina powers into the Wimbledon final by dismantling 2019 champion Simona Halep with a clinical display to reach her maiden Grand Slam showpiece Rybakina will meet Ons Jabeur.
The Russian-born Kazakh’s relentless display of powerful hitting proved too much for 2019 winner Halep as a 6-3 6-3 victory booked a Saturday showdown with third seed Ons Jabeur.
“Simona is a great champion but I was focused today and happy with my performance,” the 23-year-old said.
“I was nervous, of course, but the matches I had before on Court One 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.
“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, who was born in Moscow and still lives there, dodged Wimbledon’s ban on Russian players having switched to represent Kazakhstan four years ago.
That decision, taken to receive more funding, has paid dividends for both parties as world No 23 became the first Kazakh player to reach a Grand Slam final.
