Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur Reaches Semi Finals of Italian Open

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur celebrates after winning her quarter final match against Greece's Maria Sakkari. Reuters
Tunisia's Ons Jabeur celebrates after winning her quarter final match against Greece's Maria Sakkari. Reuters
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Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur Reaches Semi Finals of Italian Open

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur celebrates after winning her quarter final match against Greece's Maria Sakkari. Reuters
Tunisia's Ons Jabeur celebrates after winning her quarter final match against Greece's Maria Sakkari. Reuters

Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur is in the semis of the women's draw in the Italian Open after bouncing back from being a game away from defeat to beat Maria Sakkari 1-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Jabeur made history last weekend by winning in Madrid to become the first Arab or African player to claim a WTA 1000 title and let out a roar of delight after a magnificent win at the Foro Italico.

The 27-year-old looked certain to be heading out after being hammered by world number four Sakkari in the first set in Rome and going down 5-2 in the second.

Greece's Sakkari was serving for what appeared to be a routine win but from nowhere Jabeur pushed back, breaking serve in game eight before winning the next seven to go three ahead in set three, a lead which she never relinquished.

"In my head at 5-2 I said, You cannot finish those two weeks, those amazing almost three weeks, like this," Jabeur told reporters.

"To back up the performance from Madrid, it's very important for me... It's one of the reasons why I'm here, why I want to continue showing myself on the court."

In the last four Jabeur will face Daria Kasatkina, who went through after Switzerland's Jil Tiechmann retired injured while the Russian was leading 6-4, 3-2.



Wimbledon Announces Record $73M Prize Fund, $4M for Singles Champions

12 June 2025, United Kingdom, London: All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) Chair Deborah Jevans and Chief Executive Sally Bolton attend a press conference at the AELTC in Wimbledon ahead of the Wimbledon Championships, which begins on june 30th. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Wire/dpa
12 June 2025, United Kingdom, London: All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) Chair Deborah Jevans and Chief Executive Sally Bolton attend a press conference at the AELTC in Wimbledon ahead of the Wimbledon Championships, which begins on june 30th. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Wire/dpa
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Wimbledon Announces Record $73M Prize Fund, $4M for Singles Champions

12 June 2025, United Kingdom, London: All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) Chair Deborah Jevans and Chief Executive Sally Bolton attend a press conference at the AELTC in Wimbledon ahead of the Wimbledon Championships, which begins on june 30th. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Wire/dpa
12 June 2025, United Kingdom, London: All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) Chair Deborah Jevans and Chief Executive Sally Bolton attend a press conference at the AELTC in Wimbledon ahead of the Wimbledon Championships, which begins on june 30th. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Wire/dpa

Wimbledon’s prize money has risen to a record 53.5 million pounds (about $73 million) and the singles champions will each earn three million pounds ($4 million), All England Club officials announced on Thursday.

The total amount is 3.5 million pounds ($6.8 million) more than last year, an increase of 7% — and exactly twice the pot handed out to competitors at the grass-court Grand Slam 10 years ago.

“We’re immensely proud of the fact that if you look back 10 years, you can see the increase over that period and 7% this year,” All England chair Deborah Jevans said. “And we have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players.”

The 2025 winners’ checks represent an 11.1% jump on last year’s prizes for the men’s and women’s singles champions and comes amid growing player demands for a bigger share of grand slam profits.

Players who lose in the first round of singles will get 66,000 pounds, up 10% year on year, The Associated Press reported.

“The focus on just the prize money at four events, the Grand Slams, does not get to the heart of what the challenge is for tennis,” Jevans added.

“The challenge with tennis is the fact that the players don’t have an offseason which they want, they have increasing injuries that they’re speaking about, and we’ve always said that we as Wimbledon are willing to engage and talk with the tours to try and find solutions, and that door remains open.”

Wimbledon starts on June 30 and runs until July 13. For the first time in the oldest Grand Slam, line judges will be replaced with electronic line-calling.