Updated January 27, 2020 14:55:02

Photo: Ons Jabeur has made history at the Australian Open and she is not finished yet. (AP: Dita Alangkara)

If you were to suggest to Ons Jabeur she has become a trailblazer as a result of her exploits at the Australian Open, it seems it would be a title that would sit comfortably with the 25-year-old.

Jabeur has made history in Melbourne by becoming the first Arab woman to reach the quarter-finals of the singles at a major and, based on her form, the Tunisian has every chance of going further than the last eight as the Open enters its second week.

The North African nation of Tunisia has not had a pedigree of producing world-class tennis players across the women's and men's game, but Jabeur is hoping that will change on the back of her historic Melbourne Park campaign.

"I'm trying to inspire many [of the] young generation back home, either in Tunisia or the Arabic world — especially in Africa — which is amazing," Jabeur said after beating China's 27th seed Wang Qiang in the fourth round on Sunday.

"It's not impossible. I made it."

The challenge of time zones has not stopped Tunisia from getting behind world number 78 Jabeur at the Australian Open.

Its capital city, Tunis, is 10 hours behind Melbourne, meaning Jabeur's matches have been broadcast in the early hours of the morning in her home country.

But locals have been getting up to follow their hero, who will rise to a ranking inside the top 50 regardless of whether she loses her quarter-final against American 14th seed Sofia Kenin.

No Arab woman has previously been ranked that high, giving Jabeur — who describes herself as "100 per cent Tunisian product" — another slice of history.

"I'm receiving a lot of messages, especially [from] people waking up at 5:00am in the morning to watch my match," said Jabeur, who reached a career-high ranking of 51 last September.

"I'm really proud. Hopefully they can still watch me and follow more, not just in the Grand Slam [tournaments] but the other tournaments.

"It will be really amazing. I hope really I can give a good example. Hopefully I can do more here. Hopefully [I] can go really good."

Jabeur never stopped 'dreaming'

It would be unfair to describe Jabeur's performances in Melbourne as being a "fairytale" run, because she has always had the talent to make her mark even though she never made it past the third round of a major until this fortnight.

And the manner in which she dispensed of Wang in straights sets — two days after the Chinese sent Serena Williams packing from the Open — and beat the retiring Caroline Wozniacki in the previous round illustrated she was not overawed to be playing on tennis's biggest stages.

Having started tennis at the age of three, Jabeur was a star in the junior ranks and won the girls' championship at the 2011 French Open, and while it did take time for her to settle into her professional career, she has finished the past three seasons ranked inside the top 100.

Photo: Jabeur initially struggled on the WTA Tour. (AP: Andy Brownbill)

A maiden WTA Tour title has eluded her, but she did make the final of the Moscow event in 2018.

"It actually was a little bit frustrating just after the juniors because I was expecting to go better," Jabeur said.

"So many players I played with in juniors, I see them [and] they're like top 50, top 20. But my game is different. I like to play differently than the other girls.

"I knew it was going to come one day. I just had to be patient, still believe in it. Sometimes I kind of lost hope [a] little bit.

But then I have such a good team behind me, my family. I couldn't stop dreaming about it (success at the majors), so I'm really happy that it came this year."

Jabeur's family has been a stabilising influence throughout her career and her husband Karim Kamoun does not just provide emotional support; he also acts as her fitness coach.

She could not wait to speak to her parents and siblings after her win over Wang, despite the fact they live in different countries and time zones across the globe.

"I called my mum right away. She was really, really happy," Jabeur said.

"My father, as well. I think he was crying, I don't know. Also my two brothers … the family, everyone was behind me. They couldn't go back to sleep again, of course.

"But I'm happy that I have this support because we've been through times. Now it's finally paying off."

Topics: tennis, australian-open, sport, melbourne-3000

First posted January 27, 2020 14:33:38