On a day when extreme heat was followed by torrential rain in Melbourne, wreaking havoc with the Australian Open schedule, Ons Jabeur caught the prevailing wind. The Tunisian second seed, bidding to reach a third consecutive grand slam final, blew hot and cold against Tamara Zidansek, struggling for two hours to find any semblance of form or consistency before reeling off the final six games in just 17 minutes to seal a 7-6 (10-8), 4-6, 6-1 victory.
With her delicate touch and vast repertoire of spins and angles, Jabeur has become synonymous with the unpredictable. For once, though, the 28-year-old was forced to work from a more limited toolbox. Having shaken off a slow start to establish a 4-1 lead, Jabeur began spraying balls long and wide at an alarming rate; by the end of the set, she had amassed a remarkable 31 unforced errors. Her difficulties were compounded by the tireless Zidansek, who utilised her outstanding defensive skills and relentless consistency to inflict all manner of torment on her increasingly frustrated opponent.
Had the Slovenian converted one of the three set points she held in the first-set tiebreak, the outcome might have been very different. Instead, Zidansek was forced to stew on those missed chances for a further eight games, at which point she converted the first break point of the second set. That gave the former French Open semi-finalist the platform she needed to level the contest. Having done so, however, she became inexplicably error-prone as Jabeur, belatedly realising it was a day for progressing rather than impressing, pushed for the line.
“It was a tough match,” said Jabeur, who played down concerns about the strapping on her right knee. “Just not the way I wanted to play. But I kept fighting.
“Frustrating to lose the second set, but I think I got the time to think and talk to myself more. The third set was really great.”
Elsewhere in the lower half of the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka advanced with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Tereza Martincova of the Czech Republic. Sabalenka, the fifth seed and champion in Adelaide 10 days ago, is bidding for a grand slam breakthrough after reaching the biggest final of her career at last year’s WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas.
“The only thing I can say is that I’m really working hard,” said Sabalenka. “Physically, mentally, I’m ready to go deep.”
Also through is Caroline Garcia, the fourth seed and WTA Finals champion, who brushed aside the Canadian qualifier Katherine Sebov 6-3, 6-0. Garcia will face Leylah Fernandez in round two after the former US Open finalist came through 7-5, 6-2 against Alizé Cornet.
“It’s a good challenge,” said Garcia. “I will have to play my best tennis for sure.”