Jabeur sweeps away Swedish qualifier

Ons Jabeur celebrated her historic ascent to the world Number 2 spot on the opening day at Wimbledon on Monday with a commanding opening round victory over Swedish qualifier Mirjam Bjorklund under the roof on Number 1 Court.

The Tunisian became the highest-ranked African player

— man or woman — in history, surpassing South African Amanda Coetzer, who peaked at Number 3 in the late 1990s.

Back home, Jabeur is nicknamed the “Minister of Happiness ”— and with good reason.

The 27-year-old has pulled off a string of unprecedented achievements for her country with a team that mostly comprises Tunisians.

She prides herself on being “a 100% Tunisian product” and has defied all odds to carve a path for herself to the upper echelons of the sport, showcasing a unique game style and a smile on her face.

Jabeur is often spotted training in a T-shirt with the message, ‘Hi! Smiling is my signature’, courtesy of her sponsor, and her opponents are always the first to say how much of a friendly presence she is on tour.

Her 6-1 6-3 takedown of Bjorklund on Monday was anything but friendly though, Jabeur bringing her ruthless best to avoid an early exit like the one she suffered at Roland Garros last month.

Jabeur went to Paris on the back of a title run in Madrid and a final showing in Rome and was considered one of the heavy favourites for the Roland Garros crown behind Iga Swiatek.

Magda Linette had other ideas though as she knocked out Jabeur in the very first round. There was no repeat of that scenario at the All England Club, however, as Jabeur sped to victory over Wimbledon debutante Bjorklund in just 53 minutes.