Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur makes San Jose Silicon Valley quarter-finals

Tunisian tennis trailblazer Ons Jabeur qualified on Thursday for the quarter-finals of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic American Championships.

Jabeur defeated US player Madison Keys 7-5, 6-1 at the week-long tennis event – which organisers say is the longest-running women-only professional tournament - in San Jose, California.

Jabeur is due to play in the championships’ quarter-final tomorrow, with her opponent yet to be decided.

Another quarterfinal in her future 🔮

🇹🇳 @Ons_Jabeur speeds past Keys 7-5, 6-1 to her 10th quarterfinal appearance this year!#MubadalaSVC pic.twitter.com/Sdw7m93MtD

— wta (@WTA) August 4, 2022

The Tunisian sportswoman made history last month, becoming the first Arab woman to reach the finals at a Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon.

Following her Wimbledon success, the Tunisian star was nicknamed "Minister of Happiness" by fans in Tunisia, and she said she hoped to inspire other Arab and African players to succeed at tennis.

"We want to give more hope to the young people who watch us. We hope to continue this momentum. We are proud to be Tunisians and we will continue with this success story," she said.

Jabeur has been setting record after record for Arab players in recent years. 

She became the first Arab woman to reach the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam tournament in 2020 at the Australian Open. 

In 2021, she also became the first Arab player to break into the top 10 of the men's or women's rankings, and then became the first Arab to win a WTA title.

Jabeur is currently at number 5 on the Women’s Tennis Association rankings for singles players.