By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday October 15, 2021
Ons Jabeur locked up a spot in the WTA’s Top-10 by taking down Anett Kontaveit in the quarterfinals at Indian Wells on Thursday. It’s an amazing, historic achievement for the Tunisian star, who becomes the first Arab – male or female – to ever crack the Top-10, but she believes it is just the beginning of her rise.
“This is a dream coming true,” Jabeur told reporters on Thursday after her win over Kontaveit. “This is something that I've been wanting, like you said, maybe you knew me when I was 16. Even before, I always wanted to get there, to be No. 1 in the world.”
Jabeur, 27, says she believes she belongs among the WTA’s elite, and sees much room for improvement, as well.
“Top 10 I know is the beginning,” she said. “I know I deserve this place from a long time since I was playing well. But I want to prove that I deserve to be here, I deserve to be one of the top 10 players. There is a lot of things that I need to improve.”
Jabeur will face Paula Badosa, a good friend of hers, for a spot in the most prestigious final of her career on Friday evening at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. There have been a lot of distractions during this week, with the quest for a historical ranking, as well Jabeur’s spot in the Race to Guadalajara on the line, but Jabeur believes she can stay focused on the task at hand.
“I'm very happy, a lot of emotions right now, but I'm still in competition so I'm trying to calm down and not overthink about top 10,” she said. “Probably will celebrate after the tournament. … Yeah, I just believed in myself, I worked hard, and this is just the beginning of great things.”