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First set: Jabeur * 3-1 Rybakina (* indicates server) Jabeur is advancing now and is achieved with a 30-0 lead, throwing the fist after each successful point. A pretty noticeable setback on the cross court leaves Rybakina stranded on the net by 40-0 and a crunchy serve gives the No. 3 seed a routine and safe catch.
First set: Jabeur 2-1 Rybakina * (* indicates server) Feel that Jabeur has to attack the second serve and here he does, a blunt setback that makes her enter the game at 15-15. A sloppy right from Rybakina sinks to the next and takes us to 15-30 and a first real pressure point. A delicious cross back from Rybakina brings him back to 30, but Jabeur picks up the pace of the ball again and catches the error to win a 30-40 break point. And Rybakina, struggling to cope with the Jabeur variety, comes out very far from the baseline again. We have an early break!
Ons Jabeur with early break. Photography: Tom Jenkins / The Guardian
Updated at 14.25 BST
First set: Jabeur * 1-1 Rybakina (* indicates server) Jabeur starts with confidence in his service and a broken ace in the center gives him a 40-15 lead, but a brilliant direct on Rybakina’s line makes his return ability. 40-30 … but Rybakina is deflected with a setback and Jabeur holds on.
Ons Jabeur plays a free kick. Photography: Julian Finney / Getty Images
Updated at 14.16 BST
First set: Jabeur 0-1 Rybakina * (* indicates server) So here we go. Jabeur won the draw and decided to receive it, presumably in the hope that the first nerves would shake Rybakina’s booming service. There are no signs of early Kazakh nervousness, however, with Jabeur able to recover only one of the first three services at stake. This allows Rybakina to advance with a 40-0, but when Jabeur can get a rally, there is much more joy for her and she fights back to 40-30 before a strong right kick from her opponent makes her on the board.
The players leave the central court and are greeted by a warm shout. Warm is also the word: it’s hot in London today.
Updated at 14.05 BST
Ons Jabuer is in the tunnel before and it seems pretty emotional to be just moments away from a Wimbledon final. Elena Rybakina has joined her and now we don’t have much time to wait.
Celebrity watch! Cherie Blair, Grayson Perry, Ellie Goulding, Rebel Wilson, Cliff Richard, Dame Maggie Smith and Elaine Paige have been caught on their way 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.
Ellie Goulding is looking forward to the match. Photography: John Walton / PA
Updated at 14.15 BST
In the first final of the day at track number 3, Groot’s Diede has won the women’s wheelchair singles for the fourth time, beating Yui Kamiji in consecutive sets.
Some pre-match readings
Here is Tumaini Carayol’s assessment of what we can tactically expect this afternoon:
Here are Simon Speakman Cordall and Aina J Khan on how Jabeur’s success in Tunisia has gone down:
And if words are your thing, here’s Tom Jenkins’ photo essay of the tournament:
Road to the final
Jabeur did not lose a set until the quarter-finals, but needed three sets to beat Marie Bouzkova there and three more to knock out Tatjana Maria in the semifinals. Unusually, he has only faced one seed on the way to the final: Elise Mertens, the No. 24 seed, in the fourth round.
Rybakina’s journey has been quite similar: no set fell to the quarterfinals (where Ajla Tomljanovic forced her to cover the distance) and only one seed faced: Simon Halep, No. 16 seed, in the semifinals . A 122 mph serve in his fourth-round victory over Petra Martic tells you where his strength lies.
Updated at 13.11 BST
Preamble
Hello everyone. Well that should be good. A draw of female individuals who sometimes, through absences and early departures, threatened to throw a final that had no star power, instead, has produced an intriguing piece that has already made history.
Tunisian 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.
His rival Elena Rybakina, meanwhile, is also in her first slam final. He chose to represent Kazakhstan four years ago, but was born in Russia and still lives in Moscow. Well, there is that.
So whoever gains the impact is likely to resonate beyond the SW19, for better or for worse. As for the tennis itself, we’re likely to see a fascinating clash of styles, Jabeur’s subtle and varied play facing the powerful 6-foot Rybakina service. Bettors have Jabeur as the odds favorite, but I have a feeling it could be very close.
The game starts at 14:00 BST