Ons Jabeur Survives Another Thriller to Reach US Open Third Round
In a thrilling second-round encounter at the US Open this year, Tunisia’s No. 5 seed, Ons Jabeur, once again showed her toughness. She triumphed after holding off a valiant battle from Czech player Linda Noskova, winning 7-6 (7), 4-6, 6-3 in the decisive third set.
She had previously battled hard to defeat Camila Osorio in round one. The US Open semifinalist from the previous year showed her tenacity on the court.
At 3-2 in the third set, Jabeur trailed by a break. However, she won the next four games in a row to win the match after 2 hours and 8 minutes of play on the Grandstand court.
Jabeur Defeats Noskova in Tight Match
“I think it was a great match for both of us,” Jabeur said in her post-match press conference. “I do respect (Noskova) a lot. I think she’s the future in tennis, for sure. It was nice to get the win, even though it was very difficult, especially the second set, for me.”
In Adelaide this January, Noskova, who is now ranked at a career-high No. 41, overcame Jabeur to earn a position in her first-ever WTA final, making it the Czech’s lone Top 5 triumph to date.
Jabeur, however, stopped Noskova in her previous match from claiming a second Top 5 victory, even their head-to-head record at one victory apiece. Jabeur made it to the third round of the US Open for the sixth consecutive year after winning this match.
Jabeur Extends Grand Slam Winning Streak to 13 Matches
Jabeur’s triumphant performance in 2023 marks her most successful year yet, with an impressive 13 Grand Slam victories.
This achievement surpasses her previous record of 12 wins in the prior year when she made it to the Wimbledon and US Open finals but faced an early exit at Roland Garros and couldn’t compete in the Australian Open.
In an exciting contest, Jabeur showed her tenacity. A stunning forehand winner helped her win the opening set in a grueling 55-minute tiebreak. Noskova jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set, but Jabeur rallied to tie the match.
Tunisian beauty won the match 5-3 in the final after coming back from a breakdown. She did so by converting her fourth match point. She far outperformed Noskova with 17 more victories and just five more unforced errors. In this titanic battle, both players could break the serve four times.
Jabeur to Face Bouzkova in Third Round of US Open
The No. 31 seed Marie Bouzkova, who easily defeated Petra Martic 6-1, 6-2 on Thursday, will be Jabeur’s opponent in the third round on Saturday.
Jabeur defeated Bouzkova in the Wimbledon quarterfinals of last year after falling behind a set in their only prior encounter. Later the following week in London, Jabeur competed in her maiden Grand Slam final.
“I have a lot of respect for Czech tennis school, in general,” Jabeur said. “They really, really have amazing players. Another test [against] Marie. She’s amazing, too. It’s going to be tough playing her, but I’m going to get ready and hopefully prepare well for the match.”
Krishanu Das is the founder and lead writer of Sports Dribble. With more than five years of experience in sports writing, he specializes in creating well-researched guides, sports rules, player rankings, tournament explainers, and match analysis across cricket, football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, and many other sports.
Although he works as an accountant by profession, sports have always been his lifelong interest. That passion inspired him to build Sports Dribble, where he focuses on publishing accurate, easy-to-understand, and regularly updated content for sports fans around the world.
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