…Jabeur, Vondrousova Target Title History

A year ago, Ons Jabeur had a photo of the Wimbledon women’s trophy on her phone screen as she chased history.

She swiftly erased it after missing out on the real thing but today has another chance when she faces Marketa Vondrousova in the final.

The popular Tunisian hopes her third major final proves lucky as she aims to be the first African or Arab woman to win a Grand Slam singles title.

“Hopefully, I can make history not just for Tunisia but for Africa,” she said.

Like last year, sixth seed Jabeur heads into the women’s final as the favourite. The 28-year-old faces Vondrousova, who is ranked at number 42 and is also aiming for her own slice of history by becoming the first unseeded woman to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish.

Vondrousova, 24, was in London as a tourist with her wrist in a plaster cast when Jabeur lost to Elena Rybakina last year, following the surgery that sidelined her for six months.

“I’m just so grateful to be here. It’s crazy that this is happening,” Vondrousova said.

The Czech was runner-up in the 2019 French Open as a 19-year-old, so like Jabeur – who lost in the US Open final two months after her Wimbledon disappointment – has previous Grand Slam final experience to draw on.

In the Open era, only one player representing an African nation has won a Slam singles title – South Africa’s Johan Kriek at the 1981 Australian Open. Kriek also won again a year later, although by then he was representing the United States.

Naija Super 8 Organisers Debunk Fining Sporting Lagos N5m for Noisemaking Story

Flykite Productions, organisers of the Naija Super 8 tournament, have denied reports by some media outlets that they imposed a N5million fine on Sporting Lagos for noise disturbance by its fans. 

In a statement issued yesterday, Flykite Productions dismissed the reports as a deliberate misrepresentation of what transpired at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Sunday, the third day of the tournament.

The organisers explained in the statement that Sporting Lagos fans were urged to relocate from their traditional ‘Happy Corner’ at the VIP Extension stand to the regular stand to enable them display unrestrained support for their beloved club, because their deafening vuvuzela noise was hindering the passing of tactical instructions by the technical team of their opponents, Enyimba International, to their players on the pitch.

“We wish to correct the impression being given to the public that we are against loud expression of fan support.

“While the Mobolaji Johnson Arena is the traditional home of Sporting Lagos for league matches, for the Naija Super 8 tournament, it is a neutral ground and necessary seating adjustments needed to be made to ensure unhindered passing of information by technical teams.

“On the day of the particular incident, Sporting Lagos fans located at the VIP extension stand were loud in cheering their team with vuvuzelas.

“However, the technical crew of the opposition team, Enyimba International FC, made a complaint to have the noise from the VIP stand minimised to enable the coaches to pass tactical instructions during the games. As such, an official of Flykite Productions approached the stand to appeal to the Sporting Lagos fans to kindly relocate to the regular stand in the stadium or consider reducing the intensity of their noise.

“However, the appeal was rejected by the fans. We do not understand how this could be misread by any serious mind as a fine. Naija Super 8 is a fan-centric tournament and we are delighted to host fans. We have no reason to fine any club for creating an atmosphere, as long as the fans conduct themselves appropriately. We did not fine Sporting Lagos for noisemaking by its fans,” the organisers clarified in the statement.

Flykite Productions explained that the tournament has had an impressive turnout of fans at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, since the opening match on July 7, adding that all the clubs were mandated to give their jerseys to match-going fans in the stadium after every game as a form of reward.

However, two clubs namely Sporting Lagos and Katsina United defaulted the mandatory regulation of the tournament and they were fined the sum of N200,000 respectively for failing to hand their jerseys over to fans at the regular stand of the stadium during their last Group A encounter on Thursday, July 13.