"You can't finish those 2 amazing weeks like this" Ons Jabeur reflects on miraculous comeback
WTA
Ons Jabeur has revealed how her inner monologue provided moments of inspiration in her rousing comeback win over Maria Sakkari in the 2022 Italian Open quarter-final.
Jabeur was already down 1-6, 2-5 to Sakkari and faced a near-certain elimination from the Italian Open. However, the Tunisian player miraculously managed to win 11 out of 12 following games and edged the second set 7-5 before a dominant 6-1 victory in the third set.
The contest lasted just over two hours and Jabeur somehow managed to notch her 16th clay-court victory of the 2022 season in the process. As a result, she also maintained her position as the WTA player with the most clay court wins during the season so far.
However, the 26-year-old has also been thoroughly rewarded for some standout clay displays in recent weeks. Jabeur also reached the quarter-final stages at the Charleston Open and in Stuttgart before winning the biggest title of her career at the 2022 Madrid Open last month.
Not only did the victory in Madrid give Jabeur confidence to push on once more in Rome this week, but it also provided the moment of inspiration to roar back and defeat Sakkari.
Post-match, the Tunisian player revealed that the fear of ending an incredible spell on clay gave her one essential push to get back into the contest.
"In my head at 5-2, I said, 'You cannot finish those two weeks, those amazing almost three weeks, like this."
"That's what got me started. I'm very happy that I could get the win at the end. It's not easy to play Maria, no? I know she hits really hard. I couldn't find my rhythm at the beginning. But I'm glad with a little bit experience that I have, I could pull off the win."
Jabeur's latest stunning result has set up an Italian Open semi-final clash against Daria Kasatkina. The Tunisian will likely head confidently into the upcoming match, having defeated Kasatkina in all four previous meetings, the most recent of which came at Stuttgart in April.
In addition, there is plenty more at stake for the 26-year-old in the upcoming final-four encounter in Rome. Jabeur could move to her career-high position of sixth in the official WTA Rankings if Aryna Sabalenka loses her semifinal match against Iga Swiatek.
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