By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday April 19, 2023
Ons Jabeur fought back from a set and 5-3 down to defeat Jelena Ostapenko on Wednesday in Stuttgart.
Photo Source: TTV
On Wednesday night in Stuttgart Jelena Ostapenko was a game away from her 11th career Top 5 win, with all the momentum in tow. It was surely Ostapenko’s night.
Ons Jabeur, however, didn’t get the memo.
The Tunisian trailblazer engineered a thrilling comeback, winning 10 of the final 13 games to notch an impressive 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 triumph to book her place in the quarterfinals at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Jabeur, the champion in Charleston ten days ago, will face either Beatriz Haddad Maia or Elena Rybakina next at Stuttgart – her current winning streak grows to six, and she improves to 10-4 on the season, and 2-2 against Ostapenko.
“It’s never easy to player her,” Jabeur said after the match. “She’s an amazing player, hitting all the winners, and it’s kind of frustrating – you cannot find your balance. I just tried to stay positive, and believe in myself.”
Ostapenko stretched her lead with a barrage of winners in the first half of the match, but when she faltered Jabeur was there to use her clever court craft and determination to take the run of play.
“It was one break,” she said. “After I just started to play much better, maybe I got a little bit into her head and it was a much better match, from the third set.”
Jabeur is 6-0 on clay this season and 46-19 overall on the surface – the Tunisian is certainly a contender for the Roland-Garros crown this year, especially as she gets more matches under her belt after missing February with a minor knee surgery.
Sabalenka Tops Krejcikova Again
Make it three out of four for Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian, in the midst of her finest season as a professional after winning her maiden major title at the Australian Open in January, has faced Barbora Krejcikova four times in the last two months. After dropping the first, she has won three on the trot against the 2021 Roland-Garros champion.
Sabalenka eased to a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Krejcikova to improve to 21-3 on the season and 37-20 lifetime on clay. The two-time Stuttgart runner up will face either Paula Badosa or Cristina Bucsa in the quarterfinals.
2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina was also in action. She defeated Germany’s Jule Niemeier 7-5, 6-3, to set a second-round contest with Beatriz Haddad Maia. Rybakina, seeded sixth, is up to 22-5 on the season.