The world’s No 2 Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur overcame a shaky start to win against third-seeded Jessica Pegula by 2-1 (1:6, 6:3, 6:3) to record her first career WTA Finals success.
Jessica Pegula had a fly start after winning 5 consecutive games after 1:1 in the first set. However, Ons Jabeur returned to the match at the end of the second set breaking twice her opponent and winning the set. The third set started equal and until the 8th game nothing was clear. However, Ons Jabeur took a lead with a break and won the set, thus returning her chances to play in the semi-finals.
“In the first set, she played very well, extremely fast. The balls were difficult, they bounced very low. I know she likes to use those shots and I had to find a way to adapt and change the rhythm to show my game. In my first match, a few missed points cost me the loss. I now understand that in this tournament it’s important to take every chance if you want to win. Against Jess it’s not easy but I did it. I’m back in the game with this win. Now I have one more match to go, which I also have to win if I want to move forward. Everyone is giving 100 percent here, so I have to be as focused as possible”, said Ons Jabeur after the match.
Jessica Pegula suffered a ninth straight loss against a top-5 player in the world rankings, and with her second defeat in the competition, she takes last place in the group before her final match against Aryna Sabalenka.
