Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabur said she went through a lot of stress ahead of her Madrid Open final against Jessica Pegula of America. On Saturday, May 7, 27-year-old Jabeur defeated Pegula 7-5, 0-6, 6-2 to become the first player from Africa to win the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 event.
The saffron-born player said she ran out of gas after her semi-final win over Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova. Jabeur struggled to beat Pegula in the first set, but lost to Black and Blue in the second set. Pegula did not allow his opponent to win a single game in the second set.
Jabeur admitted that Pegula had the pace in the second set and had few answers to the questions asked by the American.
difficult moment
“I honestly still can’t believe it. I went through a roller coaster of emotions during the last few days, right after the semifinals. I was really trying to breathe like a pregnant woman,” says Jaboor Was told in the post-match press conference.
“His pace in the second set was very good. I can’t say much, but at the same time, I was not being patient enough with his shots. I could have stayed longer with the rallies or tried to put the ball in, but I know she was playing really well,” she said.
However, Jabeur made a strong comeback in the third and final set. Along the way, he also broke the pegula five times out of 12.
“After that, I was like, ‘No matter what you do, just don’t lose your service.’ It was tough moments there. I thought my body language was much better in the third set as well. I was trying to go further and be able to support her shots, because she was playing really well,” Jaboor said. he said.
After winning the tournament in Madrid, Jabur is set to take on Romania’s Sorana Kirsti in a round of 64 match at the Italian Open on Monday, May 9.