Ons Jabeur revved up a 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 Tuesday comeback to write more tennis history as the first Tunisian to reach the finals at Wimbledon.
The third seed will on Thursday face German Tatjana Maria.
The breakthrough Arab player fired 30 winners and 27 unforced errors in victory; Jabeur came good after losing two previous Grand lam quarter-finals.
“Hopefully my journey will continue,” the winner said. “It was a tough match today, but I’m glad I played even better in the second and third sets.
“I was really tight at the beginning of the first set and I didn’t make my shots. I wasn’t feeling like it was me really playing.
“But I’m happy that I was serving maybe a little bit better, stepping on the court, and that’s me waking up, really.”
Maria took care of business in two and a quarter hours as she moved to the best showing of a career interspersed with giving birth to two daughters.
The 34-year-old came from a break down in the second and third sets as she fought to impose her game on No. 79 Niemeier.
The winner was competing in her 46th Grand Slam but until now had stalled in the third round.
Maria was thrilled to advance to the semis as she beat her equally inexperienced compatriot in a first-time meeting.
“It was a really tough match. It’s always tough to play against a German girl,” she said. “We’ve never even practised together. So it was something completely new.
“I started pretty nervous. but I was able to find a little bit my game. At the end it was an amazing match.
Maris spent two hours, 20 minutes in constructing her fightback victory, breaking Niemeier five times.
“It’s really hard to change your tactics, but I had to a little bit.
“I’m happy that I could do it. When I was 4-2 down in the third set, I kept going and I kept fighting.”
Maria is barely a year back from her second maternity leave as she waits for her semi-final against third-seed Jabeur.
At 103 she is the fourth-lowest ranked player to reach the Wimbledon semis since 1984, following Serena Williams (No.181 in 2018), Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (No.134 in 1999) and Zheng Jie (No.133 in 2008).
Niemeier was plagued by double-faults, striking 11 in defeat.
“I think it was a great match from both of us,” the loser said. “Tough one today, but Tatjana just played really good in the right moments.”
Main photo:- Tatjana Maria can’t believe she’s though to the semi finals – by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
