Jabeur finally surpassed Vondrousova and left the Finals group very open
Photo: GNP Seguros WTA Finals Cancun
Cancun (Mexico) – In the rematch of the last Wimbledon final, Ons Jabeur got a rematch against Marketa Vondrousova. The Tunisian beat the Czech 6/4 and 6/3 in 1h29 of play this Wednesday in Cancún. She also recovered from the tough defeat suffered in her WTA Finals debut, in which she had only played one game against Coco Gauff.
This was Jabeur’s first win over Vondrousova in four games this season. In addition to the London Grand Slam decision, the Czech left-hander had also won the Australian Open and the WTA 1000 in Indian Wells. The record between them is now tied 4-4.
Furthermore, Jabeur’s victory in straight sets leaves the situation of the Chetumal Group quite undefined for the last round. The four players still have chances, with the undefeated Iga Swiatek only needs one set. The Tunisian and also the American Coco Gauff have one victory and one defeat. And even Vondrousova, with two defeats, has a remote chance. On Friday, Swiatek faces Jabeur, while Gauff faces Vondrousova.
Shortly after the match, Jabeur became emotional in the on-court interview, once again expressing his solidarity with the Palestinian community and announced that he will donate the prize money he receives from the tournament to offer humanitarian aid to the war-torn region. “I’m happy for the victory, but lately the situation in the world doesn’t make me happy. It’s very difficult to see children dying every day. It’s heartbreaking. I decided to donate part of my prize money to help the Palestinians. It’s not a message politics, it’s a humanity issue. I want peace in this world.”
On the court, the duel between Jabeur and Vondrousova was the one that promised the most tactical variations in this group stage of the Finals, as they are two players with many resources and the ability to execute slices, short shots and climbs to the net. But on a very windy night on the court, surviving during the rallies was the priority. The match had nine service breaks, six in favor of Jabeur, who created 13 break-points.
In a dispute of long games, Jabeur was ahead on the scoreboard the entire time, breaking twice in the first set. In the second half, Vondrousova only managed to confirm a service game and made five double faults. The Tunisian scored 24-13 on winners and committed 26 unforced errors compared to 25 for her rival.
