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Ons Jabeur pulled off a Houdini act to set up a riveting Rome final against the in-form Iga Swiatek.
The Tunisian saved a match point against Daria Kasatkina in the semifinals en route to a 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 win. After the match, the Tunisian said she was happy that women's tennis has been on the rise recently.
While Swiatek increased her win streak to 27 matches following her straight-sets win over Aryna Sabalenka, Jabeur has won her last 11 matches.
"I said before someone that show us how it's done. Before it was like Serena, she was doing great. She was kind of pulling the other players towards her level. Now I feel like Iga is doing the same. Ash was doing it, as well."
She also remarked on the similarities between the Big 3 pushing each other to new heights and how she and Swiatek push each other to be better as well.
"I think really I want to thank Iga for the inspiration she gave all of us, you want it or not. Not just Iga, but all other players. If the level goes high, I think you attract more. It makes us better. Djokovic said it about Nadal and Federer. I feel like it's the same thing for us. We should really encourage each other and push each other to be better."
Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur's 2022 campaigns thus far
Iga Swiatek has been on a tear this season. Since a second-round defeat to Jelena Ostapenko in Dubai, the Pole has won a staggering 27 consecutive matches.
This has seen the 20-year-old capture titles in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami and Stuttgart. She's now on the cusp of her fourth WTA 1000 title of the year. However, she could meet her sternest challenge of the week against an inspired Ons Jabeur.
The Tunisian endured a slow start to her campaign. After making three consecutive quarterfinals, Jabeur lost in the second round in Indian Wells and the fourth round in Miami. She reached the final in Charleston (lost to Belinda Bencic) before reaching another quarterfinal in Stuttgart, losing to Paula Badosa.
Jabeur then found her stride, winning the biggest title of her career in Madrid last week. She's now on the cusp of consecutive WTA 1000 titles in as many weeks.
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