Kim Clijsters has advised Ons Jabeur to “fake it until you make it” after another heartbreaking grand slam final defeat.
The popular Tunisian could not overcome her nerves in a 6-4 6-4 loss to Marketa Vondrousova that made it back-to-back Wimbledon final losses.
A US Open final defeat to Iga Swiatek was sandwiched in between and Jabeur now joins an unwanted club of players who have lost their first three grand slam finals.
Like Andy Murray, it took Belgian Clijsters five attempts before she finally won one, and she shared tears with Jabeur in the locker room
“Just watching her in her interview and seeing the emotions afterwards, it brings back a lot of memories and thoughts of how you go about it,” said Belgian Clijsters.
“There’s no secret, it’s just trying to give yourself the opportunity to get to that stage again. The unfortunate thing is you cannot practise these things, you cannot practise being in a grand slam final, you can only do it within the occasion.
“The biggest thing she has to maybe learn is to fake it, fake it until you make it. You could see it really clearly that the negative emotions were taking over.
“If she missed a shot, there was the natural kind of reaction that was negative. When she made a great point, there was nothing a lot of the time. That just showed the doubt was overpowering everything.”
Clijsters lost twice in French Open finals and once each at the Australian Open and US Open before her maiden success in New York in 2005.
“It’s tough,” said the 40-year-old, who went on to win four major titles. “But there shouldn’t be any question in her mind about whether she can do it or not. She can beat all these players, there’s no doubt about that.
“For me the most disappointing is not so much the loss, it’s the fact that you weren’t able to bring your best tennis to the biggest occasion, and that’s the most frustrating and that’s why you start to worry – why am I not able to do it? Why am I so overwhelmed with emotions on the big stage?
“But it does feel good eventually when you get it. It’s definitely a process. I just know looking back I wasn’t ready to win and I’m very happy I didn’t win my first.”
Jabeur was grateful for Clijsters’ support and is encouraged that many other players have been through similar adversity before eventually getting their hands on a winners’ trophy.
“I love Kim so much,” said Jabeur. “She’s a great inspiration for me. I grew up watching her a bit. The fact that she takes the time to give me advice and to really hug me, always be there for me, I think it’s priceless.
“She was telling me all the time she lost four. That’s the positive out of it. You cannot force things. It wasn’t meant to be.”
History will be made on women’s final day as Tunisian Ons Jabeur takes on Czech Marketa Vondrousova.
A new name will on the Venus Rosewater Dish after the Centre Court showpiece as last year’s runner-up takes on the first unseeded women’s finalist in SW19 since 1963.
Elsewhere, Neal Skupski is going for a Wimbledon hat-trick and the schedule is playing catch up as play was washed out on the outside courts on Friday.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at day 13.
Ons the way to redemption
Ons Jabeur is back in the Wimbledon final 12 months after she suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Elena Rybakina.
The Tunisian has said that 2022 was never her time, but there is a real sense she is now ready to become a grand slam champion.
She has looked every inch the title contender throughout the tournament with her all-round game and fighting spirit getting her this far.
If she can go one better than last year then she will become the first female singles winner of a grand slam from an Arab or African country.
Vondrousova’s road to recovery
Marketa Vondrousova is also on the path to redemption after injury stalled her promising career.
After reaching the French Open as a teenager in 2019, she has suffered with health issues and revealed that her only participation in Wimbledon last year was watching her best friend in qualification at Roehampton while wearing a cast on her left wrist.
But 12 months on she is in the final after going under the radar until ending Elina Svitolina’s emotional run in the last four.
She will have extra support in her box as her husband has found a cat sitter so is travelling over for the match.
And if she wins, she will become the first unseeded women’s title winner in Wimbledon history.
Skupski going for the hat-trick
Not since Dorothy Round in 1937 has a British player won a hat-trick of Wimbledon titles, but Neal Skupski could be about to emulate that achievement.
The Liverpudlian won the mixed doubles in 2021 and 2022 and is now going for the “pinnacle” in the men’s doubles with Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof.
Skupski will not have his brother and coach Ken in his box as he went on a family holiday to Ibiza on Friday, but he did provide tactical analysis via video.
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, who beat Skupski and Koolhof at the French Open, stand in the way.
Order of play
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Centre Court
Marketa Vondrousova v Ons Jabeur
Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski v Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos
Court One
Alfie Hewett v Martin De La Puente
Wozniacki/Black v Radwanska/O’Brien
Hewett/Reid v Miki/Oda
Weather
Very strong winds, with the chance of early showers.
Ons Jabeur hopes she has served her apprenticeship as she bids to take the final step and win a maiden grand slam title on Saturday.
No other woman can match the Tunisian’s achievement in reaching three grand slam finals in the last five tournaments after finishing as runner-up at Wimbledon last year to Elena Rybakina and at the US Open to Iga Swiatek.
Jabeur has certainly proved her grass-court credentials this fortnight, beating grand slam champions in the last four rounds, including Rybakina and second seed Aryna Sabalenka from a set down.
“Last year was my first final of a grand slam,” said Jabeur. “I’m definitely getting closer to winning the grand slam that I always wished.
“I would say I always believed. But sometimes you would question and doubt it if it’s going to happen, if it’s ever going to happen. Being in the last stages, I think it does help you believe more.
“I’m going to learn a lot from not only Wimbledon’s final but also US Open final, and give it my best. Maybe this year was all about trying two times and getting it right the third time.”
Standing in Jabeur’s way is an unexpected finalist in Czech Marketa Vondrousova, who reached the 2019 French Open final as a teenager but has been mostly off the radar since.
Having already beaten the players who defeated her at Wimbledon the last two years, Jabeur will now aim to make it third time lucky in another way having lost to Vondrousova twice this year, at the Australian Open and Indian Wells.
It will be a match for the purists, with Jabeur and Vondrousova the two best exponents of the drop shot in the women’s game and possessing far more in their arsenals than simply power.
Jabeur said: “I’m going for my revenge. I didn’t win against her this year. She has good hands. She plays very good.
“I will try to focus on myself a lot. I’m not sure how she’s going to play (in her) second grand slam final. We’re both hungry to win. Whoever deserves it more will win.”
Jabeur is already the first African woman and Arab player to reach a slam singles final in the open era, and is known as the ‘minister of happiness’ in her home country for her sunny demeanour and the pride she has engendered.
Lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish would be a hugely significant moment for her home region and Jabeur is buoyed by the support.
“The good thing about those people, they always tell me, ‘Win or lose, we love you’,” she said. “That’s great words to hear. I always try to remember that, even though I know everybody wants me to win.
“For me, there is one goal: I’m going for it. I will prepare 100 per cent. Hopefully I can make history, not just for Tunisia, but for Africa.”
Vondrousova’s resurgence this season has come after she missed six months of 2022 following two operations on her left wrist.
The 24-year-old, who was dropped by clothing sponsor Nike, came to London last summer as a tourist, watching a friend play in qualifying before visiting the London Eye and going shopping.
This is the first time Vondrousova has come close to matching what she achieved at Roland Garros four years ago, when a semi-final victory over Britain’s Johanna Konta was followed by a one-sided loss to Ashleigh Barty.
Like Jabeur, she has done things the hard way here, beating four seeded players before seeing off crowd favourite Elina Svitolina in the last four.
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She is aiming to become the first unseeded women’s champion at Wimbledon and believes her previous final experience will come into play, saying: “I think it can definitely help in tough moments.
“I was very young, so I think it was just too much for me back then. I’m a bit older now. I think I’m a bit of a different person. I’m just very happy to be through this again.”
Vondrousova, who will break into the top 10 for the first time if she claims the title, can also draw on the remarkable success of female players from her country.
Fellow left-hander Petra Kvitova was the last Czech winner of Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014 but since then Lucie Safarova, Karolina Pliskova, Barbora Krejcikova and Karolina Muchova have also reached slam finals.
Ons Jabeur believes her new-found patience helped propel her into another Wimbledon final.
The Tunisian sixth seed, last year’s runner-up, came from a set down to beat Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-3 on Centre Court.
Sabalenka, banned from Wimbledon last year over the role of Belarus in the war in Ukraine, was a point from going a set and 5-3 up.
But Jabeur’s rousing comeback spared Wimbledon chiefs the uncomfortable situation of the Princess of Wales handing a trophy to, and shaking hands with, a player from Russia’s allied nation Belarus in the women’s final.
Instead of a politically-charged clash between Sabalenka and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, Centre Court will host Jabeur against Czech Marketa Vondrousova on Saturday.
Jabeur was devastated after losing to Elena Rybakina in last year’s final, but believes she is a different player 12 months on.
“Maybe the old me would have lost that match today,” she said. “Probably 12 months ago, for sure. Maybe also a little bit before, like six months ago. It’s a different player.
“I’m working on myself like crazy. You have no idea what I’m doing. Every time there is something, I’m very tough with myself, try to improve everything. Very impatient sometimes, which is not good.
“Maybe my injuries slowed me down and teach me to be patient and accept what’s going on.”
A set and a break down, Jabeur came out fighting on the Sabalenka serve and it finally paid off.
“I was like, honestly, I’m not going to give a s***, I’m just going to go in and hit my return,” she added.
“Yeah, it was coming. I was returning much better. She missed some shots that did help me stay in the game. I was fighting every point. We just wait for a little bit of chance sometime to get the game, and that’s what happened.”
Sabalenka has reached four consecutive semi-finals but only won one of them, when she took the Australian Open title earlier this year.
“I didn’t play my best tennis today. It was just, like, a combo of everything. A little bit of nerves, a little bit of luck for her at some points,” she said.
“I mean, she just played really well. She played unbelievable tennis. In those key moments, she got a little bit more lucky, and I didn’t play the way I was supposed to play.”
Victory would have elevated Sabalenka above Iga Swiatek to become world number one.
“I wouldn’t say that I was thinking about that. I mean, for me it’s more about how you finish the year than during the year you’re first, second, you just go back and forth,” she added.
“For me it’s more about the finish to the year. I’ll keep pushing myself and do everything I can to finish this year as world number one.”
Ons Jabeur will meet the unseeded Marketa Vondrousova in Saturday’s women’s final at Wimbledon.
Jabeur, last year’s runner-up, earned a shot at redemption by upsetting world number two Aryna Sabalenka after Vondrousova crushed the dreams of Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in the first semi-final.
Elsewhere at the All England Club, Britain’s Neal Skupski secured a place in the final of the men’s doubles.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how day 11 of the Championships unfolded.
Ons-toppable?
Ons Jabeur was devastated after losing to Elina Rybakina in the 2022 final but believes she is a different player 12 months on.
The sixth seed defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-3 to the delight of the Centre Court crowd – and likely to the relief of the All England Club and Buckingham Palace.
Australian Open champion Sabalenka, banned from last year’s tournament due to the war in Ukraine, was a point from going a set and 5-3 up.
But Jabeur’s rousing comeback spared Wimbledon chiefs the uncomfortable prospect of the Princess of Wales handing a trophy to, and shaking hands with, a player from Russia’s allied nation Belarus in the women’s final.
Instead of a politically-charged clash, the gutsy Tunisian will bid to make it second time lucky, with underdog Vondrousova standing in her way.
Tweet of the daySvitolina unable to mount mother of all comebacks
Elina Svitolina’s inspiring run ended as Czech world number 42 Vondrousova reached her maiden Wimbledon final.
Svitolina’s efforts amid war in her homeland of Ukraine and only nine months after giving birth to daughter Skai have been one of the stories of the tournament.
But she was quickly on the backfoot in her quest to reach a first major final and was unable to battle back against 24-year-old Vondrousova, who broke three times in the opening set en route to a 6-3 6-3 success.
Far more at home on clay than grass, Vondrousova is enjoying her first significant grand slam run since she made the final at the French Open in 2019 as a teenager before losing to Ashleigh Barty.
She had beaten Svitolina comfortably in their last meeting in the semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and it was the same story on Thursday.
Flying the British flag
Neal Skupski is one win away from a Wimbledon hat-trick after reaching the men’s doubles final with partner Wesley Koolhof.
The Liverpudlian won the mixed doubles in 2021 and 2022 and will have a shot at his first men’s title after a 7-5 6-4 win over Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden on Court One.
One break of serve in each set was enough for top seeds Skupski and Koolhof to get the job done as they booked a Centre Court spot on Saturday.
Shot of the dayQuote of the dayPicture of the dayStat of the day
Ons Jabeur is through to a second consecutive Wimbledon final after coming from a set down to beat Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.
The Tunisian sixth seed, last year’s runner-up, won 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-3 to the delight of the Centre Court crowd, and likely to the relief of the All England Club and Buckingham Palace.
Sabalenka, banned from Wimbledon last year over the role of Belarus in the war in Ukraine, was a point from going a set and 5-3 up.
But Jabeur’s rousing comeback spared Wimbledon chiefs the uncomfortable situation of the Princess of Wales handing a trophy to, and shaking hands with, a player from Russia’s allied nation Belarus in the women’s final.
Instead of a politically-charged clash between Sabalenka and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, Centre Court will host Jabeur against Czech Marketa Vondrousova on Saturday.
Jabeur was devastated after losing to Elina Rybakina in last year’s final, but believes she is a different player 12 months on.
She said: “I’m working a lot with my mental coach who’s been helping me a lot and I might be writing a book about it.
“I’m very proud of me, the old me maybe would have lost that match but I’m glad I kept digging deep and finding the strength.
“I’m learning to transform bad energy into good energy. After the anger of the first set I just tried to stay focused. I’m accepting it, digging deep to go and win this match, and hopefully this tournament.”
Jabeur led the first-set tie-break but dumped a backhand into the net and then sent a forehand long as Sabalenka forged ahead.
She seemed set to capitulate at 2-2 in the second, slipping to 0-40 before a double fault put Sabalenka in control.
But Sabalenka tightened up horribly and a double-fault gave Jabeur break point which she converted for 4-4.
With the Centre Court crowd right behind her, Jabeur somehow saved a break point by staying in a ridiculous rally until Sabalenka smashed a forehand wide, and then levelled the match with an unstoppable return on to the baseline.
The 28-year-old piled the pressure on the Sabalenka serve and won a nerve-jangling game with a third break point to go 4-2 up in the decider.
Sabalenka saved two match points on serve but Jabeur finished the job behind her own with an ace before raising her arms in triumph.
Ons Jabeur found it too painful to rewatch last year’s Wimbledon final defeat by Elena Rybakina but she will happily take another look at the rematch.
The sixth seed, who also lost to Iga Swiatek in the US Open final last year, will take on second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the last four after fighting from a set down to defeat Rybakina 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-1.
Jabeur missed a set point in the opener but fought back impressively, hitting more winners and making fewer errors than her opponent, who has established a fledgling big three in the women’s game this season with Sabalenka and Swiatek.
Jabeur left it to her coach to analyse last year’s match, where she led by a set before Rybakina fought back.
“I couldn’t watch it,” she said. “Very, very difficult. Until this day, I couldn’t watch this match. I can watch today’s match. That’s OK.
“Even watching the Netflix (documentary) show was painful. If I watch the whole match, it would have been terrible.”
Jabeur certainly exorcised last year’s demons, coping much better with the pace of Rybakina’s ball, but with the result came a sense of what if.
“I wish we could exchange this match for the final last year,” she said wistfully during her on-court interview.
Later in the press room, she added: “I believe last year maybe I wasn’t ready to play this kind of match. I don’t regret last year. It happened for a reason. It was meant to be this year. It was meant to be in the quarter-finals.
“I have learned a lot from the final last year. Definitely very proud of myself for the improvement that I did mentally, physically, and with the tennis racket.”
The Queen was among the interested watchers from the Royal Box as the pair took to Centre Court.
When not giggling at umpire Kader Nouni’s deep voice, the crowd were again largely behind the likeable and flamboyant Jabeur, whose game and demeanour contrast so strikingly with stone-faced Rybakina.
It was the Kazakh who made the first move with a break to lead 3-1 but Jabeur did what none of Rybakina’s opponents had managed since Shelby Rogers in her first set of the tournament by breaking straight back.
A lovely angled backhand pass gave Jabeur a 6-5 lead and she created a set point serving for it only for Rybakina to force a tie-break with a series of fierce backhands.
The reigning champion then went on to take it, and Jabeur’s frustration threatened to boil over when Rybakina’s big serve came to her rescue down 0-40 in the second game of the second set.
Jabeur is known for her creativity on the court but what was notable here was how she was able to match and even out-hit Rybakina from the back of the court, stepping in to break serve again to clinch the second set.
She was imperious in the third, with Rybakina struggling to find her first serve and ultimately well beaten.
Jabeur believes her show of power bodes well for taking on Australian Open champion Sabalenka next in what will be another big test.
“I think I’m hitting better,” said the 28-year-old. “I’m more confident in my shots. Serve-wise, I think it’s getting better. And it definitely needs to get better, especially playing players like her or Aryna.
“But most of all I think I was hitting fast. If you want to hit hard, I’m ready to hit hard, too.
“It’s going to be a very difficult match. Probably her shouting that way, me shouting this way. I’m going to try my best to stay focused and take every opportunity.”
Rybakina was left to rue a difficult day on serve but was proud of her efforts in defending a grand slam title for the first time.
“For sure she was making better decisions from the court than last year, I would say,” said the third seed.
“I also had a lot of opportunities this time, especially in the second set. I felt that my serve wasn’t that great. It’s my weapon and it was not working that well.
“It was kind of a new challenge for me coming as a defending champion. It’s of course a different feeling. Actually I’m really proud of the first few matches because it’s not easy.
“I would say that every match I played was a little bit better than the other one. I think, no matter the result of today, it was a positive few weeks for me here.”
Ons Jabeur gained revenge with victory over defending champion Elena Rybakina in a rematch of last year’s Wimbledon final.
The sixth seed, who also lost to Iga Swiatek in the US Open final last year, will take on second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the last four after fighting from a set down to defeat Rybakina 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-1.
Jabeur missed a set point in the opening set but fought back impressively, hitting more winners and making fewer errors than her opponent, who has established a fledgling big three in the women’s game this season with Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek.
The Queen was among the interested watchers from the Royal Box as the pair took to Centre Court.
They had not faced each other since last year’s final, where Jabeur took the first set before Rybakina fought back to win in three.
While not giggling at umpire Kader Nouni’s deep voice, the crowd were again largely behind the likeable and flamboyant Jabeur, whose game and demeanour contrast so strikingly with stone-faced Rybakina.
It was the Kazakh who made the first move with a break to lead 3-1 but Jabeur hit back immediately, breaking back to love.
The hard, flat hitting and ferocious serve of Rybakina made it hard for Jabeur to bring her tricks into play too often but a lovely angled backhand pass put her 6-5 ahead.
Rybakina, who was beaten by Sabalenka in the Australian Open final, had not dropped serve since the first set of the tournament so to break twice in a set was a notable achievement for Jabeur.
However, the sixth seed was unable to serve out the set, seeing a set point go begging as Rybakina engineered a break back with a series of searing backhands.
Both players looked to be feeling the occasion but it was Rybakina who handled her nerves better in the tie-break, helped by her most potent weapon.
The Rybakina serve also got her out of a hole down 0-1 0-40 in the second set, Jabeur’s frustration obvious as the break points were snatched away.
But the defending champion was powerless to stop Jabeur when she applied pressure at 5-4, the Tunisian leaping to put away a simple volley before bouncing to her chair.
When a second successive break of serve followed to start the deciding set, the crowd began to sense the finish line.
Jabeur was playing better and better, coping brilliantly with the power of Rybakina and hitting plenty of her own winners, particularly down the line.
A second break of serve, clinched with a precision backhand, gave her the chance to claim victory, and a Rybakina forehand into the net sealed the deal.
The remaining singles quarter-finals are completed on Wednesday as Wimbledon continues to take shape.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz will again look to outline his title credentials against fellow youngster Holger Rune while there is a rematch of last year’s women’s final between Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at day 10.
Match of the Day
Fans on Centre Court will watch a match that is fit for a final as Elena Rybakina takes on Ons Jabeur.
It is a rematch of last year’s final which saw Rybakina claim her first grand slam title in a three-set win that left Jabeur heartbroken.
Both women are again looking the real deal having got to this stage without any trouble at all.
Jabeur says she has learned from last year’s final defeat and she is gunning for revenge.
King Carlos to reign?
Questions were asked of Carlos Alcaraz’s ability on the grass ahead of this Wimbledon campaign but he has resoundingly answered them.
During his first four matches he has proved he is very much at home here and is a real contender to win the title.
Standing in the way of a first Wimbledon semi-final appearance is Holger Rune in a clash of the new kids on the block.
At 20, Rune is also a future star and is looking for a first grand slam semi-final, but has his work cut out.
British pair chasing more history
Naiktha Bains and Maia Lumsden became the first all-British pair to reach the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon women’s doubles in 40 years and now they have a last-four spot in their sights.
Not since Jo Durie and Anne Hobbs in 1983 have a home team got this far and Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens now stand in their way.
If they were to win on Court Two, they would equal Durie and Hobbs’ achievement, which is not a bad effort considering Lumsden thought her career would be over after a bout of long Covid.
Jonny O’Mara and Olivia Nicholls are flying the flag in the mixed doubles as they are through to the semi-finals, where they will face Lyudmyla Kichenok and Mate Pavic on Court Three.
Jamie Murray and Neal Skupsi are also in action in the men’s doubles quarter-finals with their respective partners Michael Venus and Wesley Koolhof.
Order of play
Centre Court
Ons Jabeur v Elena Rybakina
Carlos Alcaraz v Holger Rune
Court One
Madison Keys v Aryna Sabalenka
Daniil Medvedev v Chris Eubanks
Weather
Warm with sunny intervals
Ons Jabeur set up a rematch of last year’s Wimbledon final after booking a quarter-final date with Elena Rybakina.
Jabeur, the sixth seed, was beaten in the showpiece match as Rybakina won her first grand slam title 12 months ago but she will be out for revenge when they meet in the last-eight on Wednesday.
She got there with a demolition of two-time champion Petra Kvitova on Centre Court, dishing out a 6-0 6-3 hammering in little over an hour.
The Tunisian brought her best game to the proceedings, delighting fans with drop shots, passing winners on the run and thunderbolts from the baseline as she made herself a real contender once again.
Kvitova, winner here in 2011 and 2014, was a shadow of her former self and struggled to cope with Jabeur’s variety, sending down 22 unforced errors.
“I don’t know who played today,” Jabeur joked. “It’s amazing, I love how Petra plays.
“I respect what she has done for women’s tennis, for me to be able to win against her is huge.
“(The quarter-final) will be a difficult match, I am going for my revenge, it was a difficult final last year, it is going to bring a lot of memories, I am hoping to play like today and get the win, it will be a difficult match.”
Rybakina will go into the rematch fresh after she was on court for just 21 minutes before her last-16 opponent Beatriz Haddad Maia retired through injury.
The Brazilian was enjoying her best run at Wimbledon, having never previously got past the second round, but hopes of a first quarter-final appearance were taken away from her when she suffered an injury early in the first set.
She had a lengthy medical timeout trailing 3-1 and tried to carry on but after being unable to move during a Rybakina service game it was clear that she could not continue.
She said: “I’m very upset now because I didn’t have the chance to, well, keep playing.
“Especially my first time on Centre Court here in Wimbledon, which is my favourite tournament.”
Aryna Sabalenka’s victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova ensured all of the women’s ‘big three’ made it to the last-eight.
The Belarusian is enjoying every minute of being back at this year’s tournament and did not waste much time in getting the better of the 21st seed, winning 6-4 6-0 on Court One.
She now plays Maddison Keys in the last-eight, in what will a mouth-watering encounter, and her eyes will be firmly fixed on a possible semi-final clash with Rybakina.
The first set was even and on serve until Sabalenka struck at 5-4 to take the lead and that gave her the platform for a dominant second set, which saw her bagel the Russian in 27 minutes.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek will face Aryna Sabalenka in the Stuttgart Open final after Ons Jabeur was forced to retire from their semi-final with a left calf injury.
World number one Swiatek was 3-0 up against Jabeur when her tearful opponent called a medical timeout and ultimately ended the contest early.
It sets up a mouthwatering showdown between top seed Swiatek and second seed Sabalenka, who defeated Anastasia Potapova in straight sets earlier on Saturday.
Jabeur, who struggled to shake off the injury sustained in the first game, said: "The third point, I don't know what happened.
"I was really excited to play Iga today – it's always a fun match between us. I wish her the best luck for the final. I'm sorry guys, I really tried to run, but Iga never makes it easy."
Sabalenka, a beaten finalist in the past two years, held her serve in the opening set against Potapova and twice broke her unseeded opponent to take the lead.
The Belarusian raced 4-0 ahead in the second set and saw out a comfortable 6-1 6-2 victory in a little under an hour to reach her fourth final of the year.
"I think I was really focused, and I think from the very first point I was playing really aggressive," Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. "I didn't give [Potapova] much time.
"I think that's why the match finished like that quick. But anyway, she's a great player, and I think in the future she's going to be a top player."
Swiatek defeated Sabalenka in last year's Stuttgart final 6-2 6-2 and is aiming to become the first player to defend the title since Angelique Kerber in 2016.
It was a day for comebacks at the Stuttgart Open, with number one seed Iga Swiatek recovering from a set down to beat Karolina Pliskova in the quarter-finals.
Swiatek made a disastrous start, going 4-0 down, and though she broke back once, was unable to find the second as Pliskova took the opening frame 6-4.
The determined Pole stepped up a level though to take the second 6-1, before breaking early in the third.
It was still an improvement for the Czech player, who lost 6-0 6-0 to Swiatek in their only previous meeting in Rome in 2021.
Pliskova kept her opponent honest on her own serve, but Swiatek had too much for the world number 17 as she clinched the decider 6-2.
Aryna Sabalenka also showcased her powers of recovery as she beat Paula Badosa despite going a set down.
The second seed won 4-6 6-4 6-4 in an even contest that saw nine breaks of serve, before the Belarusian eventually got over the line.
Sabalenka is now the player with the joint-most comeback wins over the last two seasons (13) level with Caroline Garcia, though the French star was actually the victim of a comeback herself on Friday.
Garcia won the first set against Anastasia Potapova, before the Russian came back to take it 4-6 6-3 6-3 to set up a semi against Sabalenka.
There was no need for such drama from Ons Jabeur, who eased to a 6-3 6-0 victory against Beatriz Haddad Maia in just 68 minutes to confirm a clash with Swiatek.
Ons Jabeur forged a comeback win over Jelena Ostapenko to get her Stuttgart Open campaign off to a flying start.
Jabeur endured an injury-hit start to 2023 but bounced back with a victory in Charleston and made it six wins on the bounce by overcoming Latvian Ostapenko 1-6 7-6 6-3 on Wednesday.
Next up for Jabeur is a potential quarter-final tie with Elena Rybakina – a rematch of last year's Wimbledon final.
Rybakina, who won the Indian Wells Open in March, came up trumps on that occasion, fighting back to win 3-6 6-2 6–2.
The Kazakh, seeded sixth, overcame German Jule Niemeier 7-5 6-3 in the round of 32 and will now face Beatriz Haddad Maia in the last 16.
World number two Aryna Sabalenka also booked her progression to the last eight, beating 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-2 6-3.
Coco Gauff, meanwhile, claimed her first victory in Stuttgart as she overcame a tough test from Veronika Kudermetova.
Gauff, the world number five, was taken to a deciding tie-break but ultimately prevailed 6-2 4-6 7-6 (7-3). The American will face Anastasia Potapova in the next round.
Former world number one Karolina Pliskova defeated Maria Sakkari in straight sets in Wednesday's other encounter.
World number five Ons Jabeur secured her first title of the season on Sunday with a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 victory over Belinda Bencic in the Charleston Open final.
Jabeur, 28, enjoyed the best campaign of her career in 2022 as she reached the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open, but she was sidelined due to knee trouble following this year's Australian Open.
The Tunisian returned with early exits at both the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open, meaning she came into Charleston without consecutive wins since early January.
But she looked right back to her best at the WTA 500 event, not dropping a set the entire tournament.
After beating Lesia Tsurenko, Caroline Dolehide, Anna Kalinskaya and Daria Kasatkina to reach the final, Jabeur had to respond to early adversity against Bencic as the Swiss secured a break in the opening game of the first set.
Down 5-4 in the opener, Jabeur broke back at the last opportunity to keep the set alive, and after falling 6-4 behind in the tie-break she rattled off the next four points in a row to steal it.
The second set was all about making the most of her chances, as Jabeur only had three break-point chances compared to Bencic's five, but she was able to convert all three while Bencic could only snag two.
The final was a rematch from last year's Charleston Open title match, where Bencic prevailed over Jabeur in three sets, and it is Jabeur's first title since the German Open in June, where she again had to overcome Bencic in the final.
Jabeur now leads their head-to-head 3-2 in matches played at WTA Tour level.
Second seed Ons Jabeur secured a berth in a second successive Charleston Open final after triumphing 7-5 7-5 in a tight battle with third seed Daria Kasatkina.
Jabeur trailed a break in both sets but won in 109 minutes, aided by a three-hour rain delay at 5-3 down in the first frame allowing her to re-group.
The Tunisian had been a double break down at 4-1 in the first set, with Jabeur breaking Kasatkina when she served for the set at 5-2.
Jabeur's progress means she has reached her 11th WTA level final, this marking her first since the 2022 US Open which she lost to Iga Swiatek.
Jabeur lost last year's Charleston final to Belinda Bencic and the two may face off again in this year's decider, with the Swiss fourth seed leading top seed Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-6 (2-4) before rain forced their semi-final to be postponed until Sunday.
Bencic looked to have blown a 5-2 first-set lead, failing to serve out the opening frame before Pegula squared it up. But Bencic held serve, then broke Pegula to love to claim the lead.
There were breaks in the opening two games of the second set before it went to serve, until rain intervened with Pegula having a slight advantage in the tiebreaker.
Play will resume on Sunday not before 1:30pm local time, with the final scheduled for Sunday evening.
Second seed Tatjana Maria advanced to her second straight Copa Colsanitas final in Bogota, winning 6-3 6-4 over Briton Francesca Jones.
Maria will face either Peyton Stearns or Kamilla Rakhimova in Sunday's final.
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