The No 2 seed Ons Jabeur was not at her best but battled to a 7-6 (8), 4-6, 6-1 win over Tamara Zidansek
Mertens beats Muguruza while Sabalenka eases throughPhotograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesYou can’t win a grand-slam title in the first week but you can definitely lose it and for a while out on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday, it seemed like Ons Jabeur was about to find that out for herself. But when the Tunisian needed inspiration, she reminded herself of one thing: “I told myself to be the No 2 in the world and just win this match,” she said, with a smile.
A lot has changed in the few years since, though. Jabeur has transformed herself from a player with abundant talent but prone to inconsistency into a regular contender for the biggest titles. Only Elena Rybakina, playing inspired tennis at Wimbledon, and the world No 1, Iga Swiatek, doing likewise at the US Open, prevented her from winning a first slam title last year.
Zidansek was not going away though and she broke in the eighth game of the second as she forced a deciding set. But Jabeur found her game in time, breaking for 2-1 and twice more to put a bit of gloss on the score. “It was a very tough match,” Jabeur said. “I wasn’t playing very well and she was putting me under a lot of pressure. I was getting frustrated but I’m glad I let it out in the second set. It’s a tough sport, you don’t want to go three sets, but I’m glad I won.
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