World no. 2 Jabeur loses already in 2nd round of 2023 Australian Open
WTA
The 2023 Australian Open women's singles draw got a little bit weaker with the departure of a two-time major finalist from 2022, Ons Jabeur.
Jabeur showed her qualities multiple times in 2022, and she wanted to continue also in 2023. However, after a shaky start at the first Grand Slam of the season, she lost already in the second round to a former Roland Garros finalist, Marketa Vondrousova.
In the opening round of the tournament, the Tunisian played against Tamara Zidansek, and she struggled already in that match. Eventually, Jabeur was able to win in three sets, 7-6(8), 4-6, 6-1.
But her second-round opponent was much stronger, as Vondrousova is a player who played in the 2019 French Open final. On top of that, Jabeur didn't start the second-round match well.
She was broken already in her first service game and couldn't create a chance to break her opponent during the whole set. On the other hand, the Czech player had a chance break the WTA World No. 2 player in every game, but she used only two break points to win the first set 6-1 in 25 minutes.
But Jabeur fought back in the second set. She had a one-break lead a couple of times, but she got broken back on both occasions. Eventually, the Tunisian ended the second set with a string of seven consecutive points won to win it 7-5 and force a decider.
But once again, Vondrousova proved to be just too good for Jabeur. The Czech player showed a similar performance to the one in the first set, and despite not being able to finish the set on her serve with a 6-0 scoreline, Vondrousova broke every Jabeur's serve in the third set to win the match 6-1, 5-7, 6-1, and set up a third-round meeting with compatriot Linda Fruhvirtova.
