ONS Jabeur has continued her red-hot 2021 form by toppling Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza and booking her spot in the second week of Wimbledon. The Tunisian talent became the first Arab woman to win a WTA Tour last month, and is now through to the fourth round following her come-from-behind 5-7 6-3 6-2 win over the 11th seed overnight.

In the longest match of the day, the Tunisian 21st seed needed two hours and 26 minutes to get past the Spaniard, hitting 44 winners to 32 and only having one more unforced error (27-26). Jabeur capitalised off her service games with a 69 and 48 per cent success rate from first and second serves, compared to Muguruza’s 62 and 39 per cent. She also broke five times – though created a whopping 29 chances – whilst Muguruza won the three from 12.

Jabeur will now take on seventh seed and 2020 Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek, after the young Pole completely dismantled Irina-Camelia Begu in just 55 minutes. Only dropping one game, Swiatek won the first five games, and then the last seven to grab a 6-1 6-0 victory in emphatic style. She hit 11 winners to nine, but crucially only produced six unforced errors to Begu’s 25, with the Colombian also producing seven double faults in the match.

In a similarly one-sided contest, second seed Aryna Sabalenka ended the run of Colombian teenager Maria Camila Osorio Serrano, 6-0 6-3. That contest lasted an hour and 15 minutes, as Sabalenka slammed home 22 winners to nine – though 31 unforced errors to 17 – breaking six of nine times. Osorio Serrano actually had more break point opportunities (10) but only managed to break twice.

“The score was six-love in the first set, but it wasn’t that easy. Every game, we were playing… there was deuce and some advantage for her. She had a lot of break points. I saved it,” Sabalenka said post-match.

“It was tough, tough first set. The second set also. It was not easy game against her. Really happy to win this match. Looking forward for the next week.”

The win allowed Sabalenka to advance to the deepest at Wimbledon and match her fourth round appearance at the Australian Open this year. The Belarusian second seed will take on Kazakhstan young gun Elena Rybakina who knocked off unseeded American Shelby Rogers. Rybakina won 6-1 6-4 in 66 minutes, hitting 22 winners to 12 and breaking three times, whilst saving all three break points she faced.

In a disappointing day for the United States, Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic took out American Madison Brengle to also reach the fourth round for the first time in the Grand Slam. The Swiss talent won 6-2 6-1 in just 67 minutes, knocking off Brengle who had taken out fourth seed Sofia Kenin the match before. Golubic hit 31 winners to 11 and broke six times to one in a dominant one-sided effort.

Sloane Stephens also exited Wimbledon, with the US Open winner going down to Liudmila Samsonova in three sets. The unseeded Russian won 6-2 2-6 6-2 over her American opponent, smashing 31 winners to eight and being more consistent off her second serve (49 to 32 per cent) to move through to the next stage in the second longest match of the day.

The one United States representative who flew the flag with a win was 23rd seed Madison Keys who upset 13th seed Elise Mertens. Booking her spot in the fourth round, Keys won 7-5 6-3 in an hour and 15 minutes. The American smashed 29 winners to nine and only had two more unforced errors (19-17), also winning an impressive 73 and 55 per cent of points off her first and second serves from a 67 per cent clip.

Finally, eighth seed Karolina Pliskova made her way into the fourth round with a 6-3 6-3 triumph over compatriot, Tereza Martincova. In an all-Czech battle, the higher ranked player proved too good, winning in an hour and 38 minutes. She hit 30 winners to 11, and broke four times to one, also winning 48 to 38 per cent of her receiving points.

WIMBLEDON ROUND OF 32 RESULTS:

[2] Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) defeated Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (COL) 6-0 6-3
[7] Iga Swiatek (POL) defeated Irina-Camelia Begu (COL) 6-0 6-1
[8] Karolina Pliskova (CZE) defeated Tereza Martincova (CZE) 6-3 6-3
[21] Ons Jabeur (TUN) defeaed [11] Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 5-7 6-3 6-2
[23] Madison Keys (USA) defeated [13] Elise Mertens (BEL) 7-5 6-3
[18] Elena Rybakina (KAZ) defeated Shelby Rogers (USA) 6-1 6-4
Liudmila Samsonova (RUS) defeated Sloane Stephens (USA) 6-2 2-6 6-4
Viktorija Golubic (SUI) defeated Madison Brengle (USA) 6-2 6-1

Picture credit: Getty Images