By Alberto Amalfi | Sunday, May 22, 2022

 

World No. World No.52 Magda Linette jolted Ons Jabeur in a 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 in an opening-round upset on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Photo credit: Getty

Ons Jabeur had high hopes for Roland Garros.

Magda Linette erased the Madrid champion in the opening round.

World No.52 Linette jolted Jabeur in a 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 in an opening-round upset on Court Philippe-Chatrier.



The sixth-seeded Jabeur arrived in Paris leading the WTA Tour in clay-court wins with a 17-3 mark, including her title triumph in Madrid earlier this month and run to the Rome final.

None of that mattered much to Linette, who played with more confidence at crunch time.

Reflecting on her first French Open opening-round exit since 2019, Jabeur credited Linette with delivering when it mattered most.

"It was tough today. I gave it all and she had her momentum on court, she didn't give me too many options and I felt that she had response to, she had an answer to all my shots and she played very well in the important moments," Jabeur said. "She played well on serve and I felt that I couldn't pressure her as much as I wanted to. So I should have been more aggressive in the second and third sets.

"I had opportunities at 4-3, but it was difficult to close it out when you get a good serve in and you're pressured on your own serve. So I think she deserves that win today and it was a good match to really think things over and maybe I'll play better in the next tournaments."

Serving to extend the final set, Jabeur went up 40-love but dissolved under pressure dropping five points in a row and ending with a pair of netted unforced errors.

The 30-year-old Linette reached the second round for the fourth time in eight Roland Garros appearances.