Ons Jabeur Moves on to Second Round at US Open

Ons Jabeur Moves on to Second Round at US Open

Time Stamp: August 30, 2023 12:14 PM

Ons Jabeur clearly had a difficult time on Tuesday at the US Open, it was a physical struggle. Despite a concerning and depleted energy level, she somehow managed to finish only her third completed match in the past six weeks, defeating Camila Osorio 7-5, 7-6(4). 

At some moments, it was difficult to watch as Jabeur repeatedly stood hunched over, hand on knee, racket supporting her ailing body. She seemed to be struggling to breathe and at one point was coughing over and over in what seemed to be her battling through an illness.

 “Yeah, it wasn’t an easy match,” Jabeur said in her on-court interview. “She plays unbelievable. I’m not playing my best today. I know at some point I didn’t have the best attitude on the court.

“I’m glad that I got the win. Especially that I showed how I could push on the court.”

The match ran two hours and two minutes, but felt much longer. Jabeur had to take a medical timeout and head into the locker room to receive medical attention. She eventually would take tablets from the on court physician to help resolve her ailment. The two players had a lengthy embrace at the net.

When asked about the conversation at the end, Jabeur said, “She asked me if I’m feeling OK, and I said, `Not really.’  She said I was such a warrior. I apologized for bringing the doctor on the court. But she took it really well and congratulated me on the win.”

Two years ago, Jabeur played a nearly flawless match here against Osorio, dropping only a single game in their second-round encounter.

At the beginning of the match, it looked like another routine match for the Tunisian. Jabeur was serving at 4-1 when Osorio suddenly turned the match upside down and took a 5-4 lead. Then, the trainer was called to attend to Jabeur, who seemed to be struggling heavily to breathe. But after a prolonged timeout, Jabeur returned with renewed strength.

After holding her serve, Jabeur broke Osorio when a running crosscourt forehand flew long. Jabeur had a few uncharacteristic misses on her forehand that were obvious signs of fatigue and possible mental fog. 

Serving for the set at 6-5, Jabeur immediately fell into a love-40 hole. She fought off four break points to stay alive. Osorio had two clear chances to force a tiebreaker, but Jabeur took the set when Osorio sent a backhand into the net.

Jabeur, looking weak, took a gingerly exit under the stands at Louis Armstrong Stadium, presumably, to regroup. Jabeur, known worldwide as “The Minister of Happiness,” had difficulty hiding her grimacing. Looking back on this match, it felt surprising that she didn’t retire from the match altogether.

She came back to break Osorio in the second set’s first game, but it was the beginning of a pattern that had eight service faults. Osorio was serving at 3-1, when Jabeur bounced back in consecutive service games to take a 4-3 lead. She saved two break points, the second with an ace down the middle and took a 5-3 lead. Osorio then held convincingly, forcing Jabeur to serve for the match.

Nevertheless, Osorio broke her and it was tied up at 5-5. Jabeur clapped back and served for the match a second time. Being down love-40, Jabeur saved three break points with a forehand winner, backhand volley winner and a hefty serve. 

Osorio forced a tiebreaker when Jabeur’s backhand missed wide. Jabeur would claim the victory when Osorio’s final forehand dumped into the net again.

Consistently, Jabeur has been at the very top of her game in the past 13 months and five Grand Slams. The Tunisian has reached three of those major finals, more than anyone.

However, she has not been able to capitalize on those results. It’s taken Jabeur some time to digest those three losses, the most recent being last month at Wimbledon. She wasn’t ready to hit the court in Montreal and withdrew. She won two matches in Cincinnati before losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.

“I wasn’t ready to come back soon on tour because I felt like I needed time for myself,” Jabeur explained before this US Open began. “They say time heals. I’m still waiting a bit. The Wimbledon loss still hurts.”

This one will take a toll as well, but in a different way than prior. She has just two days to recover from what was ailing her on court Tuesday.

Next up Jabeur will face Czech Republic teenager Linda Noskova on Thursday, a 6-2, 6-1 winner over Madison Brengle.

Stay tuned for more breaking tennis coverage and updates.

Featured Image courtesy of US Open

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