The second-seeded Ons Jabeur qualified for the second round of the Australian Open. The Tunisian tennis player defeated Tamara Zidansek (Slovenia) with 2-1 (7:6, 4:6, 6:1) in a match lasting two hours and 19 minutes.
A number of matches played on outdoor courts were interrupted in the evening hours in Melbourne due to rain.
Ons Jabeur, who has reached the finals of the last two Grand Slams, struggled in the first two sets and saved three set points in the opening set before conceding two breaks and losing the second.
“It was a very difficult match, to be honest. It was definitely not the way I wanted to play, but I kept fighting. It was frustrating to lose the second set, but I had a little time to think. The third set was really wonderful”, said Ons Jabeur.
The Tunisian tennis player had back problems during the warm-up tournament in Adelaide and played with a bandage on her right knee.
“It’s not a big injury, but it worries me sometimes. I try to watch game by game. I will challenge myself and see if I can play at 100 percent”, said also Ons Jabeur.
The Romanian Sorana Cirstea lost to Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan) with 1-2 (6:2, 4:6, 3:6), while the Croatian Petra Martic eliminated Viktorija Golubic (Switzerland) after success with 2-0 (6:3, 6:4).
The 18th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova from Russia defeated Jasmine Paolini (Italy) by 2-0 (6:2, 6:4) and also qualified for the second round.
