Ons Jabeur hugs Aryna Sabalenka after their Women’s Singles Group Stage match in WTA Finals.© AFP
World quantity seven Aryna Sabalenka rallied from a set right down to beat second-ranked Ons Jabeur on Monday as round-robin play started on the season-ending WTA Finals. Sabalenka shook off an error-strewn begin to beat the Tunisian, a finalist at each Wimbledon and the US Open this yr, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. “I think it’s the biggest win of the season for me,” mentioned Sabalenka, who was a semi-finalist within the WTA’s season finale final yr however has endured a disappointing 2022 marketing campaign.
“She played unbelievable and somehow another miracle happened for me and I was able to win this match.”
Sabalenka needed to dig deep to enhance her report in opposition to Jabeur to 3-1.
Jabeur, making her WTA Finals debut, was two factors away from victory at 5-Three within the second set tiebreaker, and he or she had two probabilities to interrupt for a 5-2 lead within the third.
But Sabalenka held on, breaking Jabeur at like to degree the set at 4-Four and capturing the victory when Jabeur netted a forehand on the primary match level.
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“I didn’t feel welcome on this court,” Sabalenka mentioned of her early struggles. “I couldn’t understand what was happening, the ball was bouncing too slow for me.
“Then within the second set I sort of calmed down and tried to suppose what I needed to do to win this match.”
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