(Reuters) – Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur will become the first Arab player to crack the top 10 of the tennis world rankings after she defeated Estonian Anett Kontaveit 7-5 6-3 in their Indian Wells quarter-final, the WTA confirmed on Thursday.
“(It) feels amazing — we’ve been working hard (for) years and when I spoke at the end of last season I said I wanted to be in the top 10, you know, people doubted us as a team but we proved them wrong,” she said after the match.
“Being a top 10 means a lot but we are not going to stop here — we’re going to go further, hopefully.”
The 27-year-old slowly chipped away at Kontaveit’s defences on Thursday, converting five of her 12 break-point chances on the way to collecting her 48th match win of the season, the most of any player on the tour this season.
Jabeur reached the final of the Chicago Fall Tennis Classic earlier this month and became the first Arab player to win a WTA title at the Birmingham Classic in June.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
