Ons Jabeur started her Ningbo Open campaign with a win, though it took quite an effort against an inspired opponent.
Ons Jabeur has had an exciting season with some amazing moments, such as the Wimbledon run, and plenty of disappointments. She's fighting for a spot at the WTA Finals in Cancun, and every win matters, especially those that are counted on before she stops on the court.
While she was heavily favoured to best Diane Parry, the win came after much battling. The French player is a tough out, and she proved it once more by pushing Jabeur to play some of the best tennis she can. It started well for Jabeur, who took an early break but didn't hold it.
She's quite streaky and loses her breaks quite often, which does end up being costly quite often. She would take another break but again lose it immediately, meaning she had to play the tie-break.
It was a close one, though she prevailed 7-3 thanks to finding a better level when needed. That's the story with Jabeur, her talent pushes her forward quite often, but she'd do so much better if she was a bit more consistent.
Similar problems prevailed in the second set once more. An early break for the Tunisian was lost again, which was unfortunate. She got some chances a few games later but failed to convert. Parry had chances as well, but Jabeur avoided getting broken.
In the very next game, Jabeur jumped out to a 40-15 lead on the serve of Parry and converted the match points to win the match. Not the greatest or cleanest performance from Jabeur but certainly a pretty important win due to her recent struggles.
She needs wins to build up her confidence; some hard-fought ones like this should do the trick. The Tunisian player won 7-6(3), 7-5, and advance to the next round.