The five stages of competition: Ons Jabeur gets Wimbledon revenge over Elena Rybakina

WATCH: From a set down, Ons Jabeur avenged her 2022 Wimbledon final defeat to Elena Rybakina in Wednesday's quarterfinals.

Ons Jabeur today avenged her 2022 Wimbledon final loss to Elena Rybakina with a 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1 quarterfinal win.

The only happier moment the Minister of Happiness could ask for is a Grand Slam title: In a match that lasted seven minutes short of two hours, Jabeur overcame doubt and found deliverance, aided greatly by 35 winners in what was surely one of the finest efforts of her career.

“Crazy match,” she said afterwards. “Difficult match. But I'm glad that I got the win this time.”

This was wire-to-wire drama, defined by both the expected and the unanticipated. Jabeur was certain to unveil her broad palette of shots in her quest to beat the frequently unflappable Rybakina.

“I knew it's going to be a tough match,” Rybakina said. “I knew it's a lot about physics for me because she plays really good slices, she's aggressive, the ball stays really low over the net. I knew that I have to be there physically, well-prepared.”

But what no one could have known was how many plot twists Jabeur would need to navigate to eventually earn this highly-satisfying victory.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the five stages of grieving. Define what happened to Jabeur today as the five stages of competition: engagement, frustration, resurgence, transcendence, anxiety. As this encounter proved, no one is ever actually winning a tennis match; all one can do is compete.

“It was very tough,” Jabeur said. “Sometimes someone like Elena pushes you to play different plans. But I'm glad that I did stick to the one we agreed on. Even though there were very difficult moments, she was putting a lot of pressure on me, she was hitting amazing.”

Though they do so in vastly different ways, Jabeur and Rybakina are each inspired players. So much of what’s present in Jabeur is externalized, her tactical array and love of the arena signs of an extrovert. Rybakina has a contained demeanor but also plays an expressive brand of tennis, brought to life most vividly by her lightning bolt of a serve and ability to terminate rallies crisply off both sides.

The vivid contrast in style and persona posed hopes for something compelling. Still, as last year’s final proved in the end, the possibility loomed that Rybakina would simply hit enough big shots to take the racquet out of Jabeur’s hands. But with Rybakina serving at 3-1 in the first set, Jabeur broke at love. Along the way, she feathered a drop shot and ripped a down the line forehand winner. Six games later, Rybakina serving at 5-5, Jabeur broke again, closing out the game with a sublime crosscourt backhand passing shot. At 6-5, Jabeur fought back from 15-40 to earn a set point, only to hit a backhand into the net.

With Jabeur, the matter is often one of doubt: What will she do next? With Rybakina, the asset is knowledge: Here it comes. Deal with it.

Such was the case in the first set tiebreak. Deep groundstrokes and hard serves put Rybakina in the lead. On her third set point, serving at 6-5, Rybakina closed out the set with a superb serve down the T.

Then came magic. With Rybakina serving at 4-5 in the second set, Jabeur struck an excellent cross-court forehand and then ended the rally with an 83-mph, down-the-line forehand winner. Two points later, an untouchable cross-court forehand was followed by another forehand winner and, soon enough, Jabeur had won the game to even the match.

Said Rybakina, “Well, for sure she was making better decisions from the court than last year, I would say.”

“I'm very, very glad that I stayed focused,” Jabeur added. “Turned the anger at the beginning, last set actually, third set was much better, and the anger there was like more me focusing and taking command of the game.”

Had Jabeur’s emotions propelled improved movement? Or had the commitment to movement propelled her emotions? Either way, Jabeur by this point had found something in herself that was increasingly dynamic. It carried her to a 3-0 lead in the third.

“I was enjoying myself a lot,” Jabeur said. “I was enjoying using her power and enjoying showing that I'm not one kind of a player that only mixes, and do drop shot and slices. Also, if you want to hit hard, I'm here to hit as fast as I can. I did show that. Not only to the player, I showed to myself, too. That gives me a lot of confidence to continue and be one of the great competitors here in Wimbledon or in the world.”

Rybakina hardly shriveled. With Jabeur serving at 3-1, Rybakina went ahead love-30. A Jabeur serve was called wide, but a challenge revealed it was barely in. Down 15-40, Jabeur whipped a forehand crosscourt for a winner and then won the next point. At deuce, Jabeur lined a down-the-line forehand that was called in. Rybakina challenged. Once again, Jabeur’s shot was in, this time by barely a millimeter. Holding the advantage, Jabeur struck a chalk-flying ace down the T. This was Wimbledon drama at its finest, mere inches tilting the contest Jabeur’s way.

Having firmly closed Rybakina’s comeback window, Jabeur went on to win eight of the next 10 points and close out the match.

“She returned really well few moments, and she was really stable and she was going for some shots,” Rybakina said. “Definitely this match she was playing well, especially in important moments.”

Jabeur next plays another powerhouse of a Grand Slam titleholder, 2023 Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka. Jabeur is 1-3 against Sabalenka. Their most recent match came last year at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Sabalenka winning 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-5. Sabalenka also beat Jabeur in the quarters of Wimbledon in 2021.

For now, though, let the Minister of Happiness savor the moment.

In the round of 16, she’d beaten another powerful past Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova. Today, she was masterful versus Rybakina. One wonders what stages she’ll go through against Sabalenka.

“It's going to be very difficult match,” said Jabeur. “Probably her shouting that way, me shouting this way. For me it's going to be very similar to today. I'm going to try my best to stay focused and take every opportunity. Aryna is more emotional than Elena, so maybe it could be a good or bad thing, I'm not sure. But let's see tomorrow. I'm going to prepare and take my revenge from two years ago.”

But whenever Jabeur walks onto a tennis court, this much is guaranteed: frequently happy. Never boring.