Second seed Ons Jabeur joked that her coach was “going to kill me” after her quest for a maiden Grand Slam title on the Australian Open started with a shaky three-set victory on Tuesday. The Tunisian finally noticed off Tamara Zidansek 7-6 (10/8), 4-6, 6-1 in an unconvincing win affected by unforced errors. Jabeur was runner-up at each Wimbledon and the US Open final 12 months however needed to grind previous the Slovenian world quantity 98 below the roof on Rod Laver Arena in a 2hr 17min battle.
“It was a tough match honestly,” Jabeur advised reporters. “Just not the way I wanted to play. But I kept fighting.”
Jabeur has set herself the dual targets in 2023 of turning into the primary Arab and African lady to win one of many 4 tennis majors and toppling Iga Swiatek from the primary rating.
But the 28-year-old, who had strapping on her left knee, suffered early nerves as she took to Melbourne Park’s centre courtroom for the night time session on day two.
Jabeur dropped her opening service recreation however broke again right away.
Further breaks had been exchanged earlier than the highly effective Jabeur finally outlasted the Slovenian 10-Eight in an attritional tiebreak on the finish of a primary set that lasted 68 minutes.
Serving at 3-Four within the second, Jabeur was damaged for a 3rd time and Zidansek took benefit to stage the match.
But after the prolonged interval between units, Jabeur cleaned up her play, made fewer errors and sped away to victory.
“It was frustrating to lose the second set, but I think I got the time to think and talk to myself more,” she mentioned. “The third set was really great.
“I simply tried to comply with what my coach advised me to do. I wasn’t actually doing that and he’ll kill me after the match,” she joked.
Jabeur committed 49 unforced errors during her stuttering opening match, but only six came in her much-improved third set.
“I simply tried to be extra affected person. It’s a tricky sport and also you positively do not wish to play three units right here,” she said.
In the end Jabeur did just enough to set up a second-round meeting with either Alison Riske-Amritraj of the United States or Czech Marketa Vondrousova in round two.
Jabeur, who missed last year’s Australian Open with a back injury, won Madrid and Berlin trophies last year in a breakout season which propelled her to second in the rankings.
Jabeur reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final at Melbourne Park in 2020 and has now won 11 of her last 12 opening-round matches at majors, the only loss coming to 52nd-ranked Magda Linette at Roland Garros last year.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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