By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday October 12, 2021
Ons Jabeur will officially become a member of the Top-10 thanks to her victory over Anna Kalinskaya at India Wells.
Photo Source: Getty
Ons Jabeur has been a trailblazer for Tunisia and the Arab world in the sport of tennis ever since she won the Roland-Garros juniors title a decade ago, in 2011. Next Monday she is projected to be a card-carrying member of the Top-10, thanks to her 6-2 6-2 win over Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya at the BNP Paribas Open.
The ranking isn't a lock yet, as a few players, notably Angelique Kerber, Anett Kontaveit and Jessica Pegula could overtake Jabeur later this week by picking up more points at Indian Wells.
28-year-old Jabeur, who will face Anett Kontaveit in the quarterfinals on Thursday, believes her milestone is just the beginning for her.
“I mean, it's a dream coming true,” she told reporters on Tuesday night. “It's something that I've been waiting for for a long time.”
Jabeur says she’s fine with the fact that it took a while for her to achieve her peak tennis.
“Obviously I didn't get the breakthrough just after the juniors, which is completely okay with me,” she said. “It wasn't at the beginning, to be honest. But the way it is, I took my time, I had to understand better the tour. It's not easy coming and playing like I'm playing right now.
Now that she has made the Top-10, Jabeur will focus on her goal of reaching the WTA Finals in Guadalajara and continue to do what she always has: look for ways to improve her tennis.
“I am happy that it's finally there,” she said. “It's been my goal, I said it from the beginning of the season, that I want to be top 10. There are so many things that I want to improve, and I am still improving. This is just the beginning of so many great things. I know I am reaching my goals right now, but I feel there is a lot of hard work that I need to do still.”
Jabeur has earned 47 wins on tour and claimed her maiden WTA title on grass at Birmingham. She’s thrilled to be making history for Tunisia with all her achievements. She is the first Arab woman to ever reach a major quarterfinal, as well as the highest-ranked Arab woman in history, and the first to crack the Top-10.
She doesn’t take the success for granted.
“It's unbelievable the support that I get,” she said. “Really I cannot wait to go home and be around Tunisians. Honestly, not just from Tunisian fans, but from all over the world. Getting recognized even more and more in the States. It's unbelievable. I never thought that could happen.I'm pretty happy and proud and hopefully I can continue playing even better and achieving my goals.”