Key events:
First set: Jabeur* 3-1 Rybakina (*denotes server) Jabeur is ticking now and races into a 30-0 lead, fist-pumping after each successful point. A quite remarkable flicked cross-court backhand leaves Rybakina stranded at the net for 40-0 and a crunching serve gives the No 3 seed a routine and confident hold.
First set: Jabeur 2-1 Rybakina* (*denotes server) You sense Jabeur has to attack the second serves and she does just that here, a forceful backhand getting her into the game at 15-15. A sloppy forehand from Rybakina goes deep on the next bringing us to 15-30 and a first real pressure point. A delightful cross-court backhand from Rybakina brings it back to 30-all but Jabeur again takes the pace of the ball and draws the error to earn a break point at 30-40. And Rybakina, struggling to cope with Jabeur’s variety, again goes long from the baseline. We have an early break!
First set: Jabeur* 1-1 Rybakina (*denotes server) Jabeur starts confidently on her serve and a cracking ace down the centre gives her a 40-15 lead but a brilliant forehand down the line from Rybakina serves notice of her returning ability. 40-30 … but Rybakina goes wide with a backhand and Jabeur holds.
First set: Jabeur 0-1 Rybakina* (*denotes server) Here we go then. Jabeur won the toss and decided to receive, presumably hoping early nerves shake Rybakina’s booming serve. There’s no sign of early jitters from the Kazakh, though, with Jabeur able to get only one of the first three serves back in play. That enables Rybakina to race into a 40-0 lead, but when Jabeur can get a rally going there’s far more joy for her and she battles back to 40-30 before a thumping forehand from her opponent gets her on the board.
The players emerge on to Centre Court and are greeted by warm cheers. Warm is the word too – it’s a hot one in London today.
Ons Jabuer is in the tunnel prior and looks pretty emotional to be just moments away from a Wimbledon final. Elena Rybakina has joined her and we don’t have long to wait now.
Celeb watch! Cherie Blair, Grayson Perry, Ellie Goulding, Rebel Wilson, Cliff Richard, Dame Maggie Smith and Elaine Paige have all been snapped on their way in to Wimbledon today, if you’re interested in that sort of thing. The Duchess of Cambridge will be there to present the trophy to the winner.
In the day’s first final on No 3 Court Diede de Groot has won the women’s wheelchair singles for the fourth time, beating Yui Kamiji in straight sets.
Some pre-match reading
Here’s Tumaini Carayol’s assessment of what we can expect tactically this afternoon:
Here’s Simon Speakman Cordall and Aina J Khan on how Jabeur’s success has gone down in Tunisia:
And if pictures rather than words are your thing, here’s Tom Jenkins’s photo essay of the tournament:
Road to the final
Jabeur did not drop a set until the quarter-finals but needed three sets to beat Marie Bouzkova there and three more to oust Tatjana Maria in the semi-finals. Unusually she’s faced only one seed en route to the final – Elise Mertens, the No 24 seed, in the fourth round.
Rybakina’s route has been rather similar – no sets dropped until the quarters (where Ajla Tomljanovic forced her to go the distance) and only one seed faced: No 16 seed Simon Halep in the semi-finals. A 122mph serve in her fourth-round win over Petra Martic tells you where her strength lies.
Preamble
Hello all. Well this should be good. A women’s singles draw that at times – through absences and early exits – threatened to throw up a final that lacked star power has instead produced an intriguing showpiece that has already made history.
Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur is the first woman of north African or Arab descent to reach a grand slam final and her chance to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish coincides with the celebration of Eid al-Adha.
Her opponent Elena Rybakina, meanwhile, is also in her first slam final. She opted to represent Kazakhstan four years ago but was born in Russia and still lives in Moscow. So, well, there’s that.
So whoever wins the impact is likely to echo well beyond SW19, for good or ill. As for the tennis itself, we’re likely to see a fascinating clash of styles, Jabeur’s subtle and varied game coming up against the 6ft Rybakina’s powerful serve. The bookies have Jabeur as the odds-on favourite but I have a feeling it might be very close indeed.
Play starts at 2pm BST
