Wimbledon Day 11: Ons Jabeur advances to final in stunning comeback, unseeded Marketa Vondrousova beats Svitolina

No. 6 seed Ons Jabeur eliminated Belarusian No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 in a stunning comeback Thursday to secure Wimbledon's last finals spot. As Jabeur was last year's runner-up, the win secured her place in back-to-back finals at the All-England championships.

Jabeur, a Tunisian 28-year-old, is now en route to appearing in the final of three of the past five Grand Slams. She also became the first player since Serena Williams to beat three top-10 opponents at the London tournament.

Down 2-4 in the second set, it seemed as if she might not be able to defeat Sabalenka, despite her impressive play. Against the odds, she was able to gain momentum. Ons won the second set before notching the deciding point in the third after 2 hours, 19 minutes of competition.

The packed stadium was roused to stand during the long rally, after which Jabeur collapsed and laid flat on the grass for a moment before giving an interview.

"Thank you to the crowd that kept me in the match," she said after the win.

Marketa Vondrousova advances to first Wimbledon final

The Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova defeated Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday and made some history as well.

Taking the victory in the first match of the day, the 24-year-old became the first unseeded women's finalist at the London tournament since tennis legend Billie Jean King in 1963.

Now grouped in history with another icon, Vondrousova's No. 42 WTA ranking makes her the second-lowest ranked player to reach Wimbledon's singles final since the rankings were introduced. She stands behind 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams, who was ranked No. 181 before she advanced to the final and defeated Garbiñe Muguruza to win the title in 2015.

For Vondrousova, this will be only the second Grand Slam final of her career and her first at Wimbledon. She accomplished the feat as a teenager at the 2019 French Open, giving her years of expertise that were on full display Thursday.

The left-hander was able to win seven consecutive games in one stretch and then held out for the win. She fell to the court and kneeled momentarily, filled with emotions once the match was officially over.

Vondrousova said she was "crazy nervous" throughout "the whole match" against Svitolina, a Ukranian new mother who was a wild-card entry in the tournament. While Svitolina had an error-filed showing in her elimination, she was a crowd favorite as she persisted to the semis.

"She's such a fighter," Vondrousova said of Svitolina, "and she's also such a great person."

Next, Vondrousa and Jabeur will meet in a match to determine the 2023 Wimbledon title. With Jabeur as the likely favorite, Vondrousa has shown she can't be counted out.

Before those two clash, Friday will be all about which players will advance to the men's singles final. First, Italy's Jannik Sinner will face reigning French Open champion Novak Djokovic. Next on the grass will be No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 3 Daniil Medvedev.