You can’t win a grand-slam title in the first week but you can definitely lose it and for a while on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday, it seemed like Ons Jabeur was about to find that out . But when the Tunisian needed inspiration, she reminded herself of one thing: “I told myself to be the No 2 in the world and just win this match,” she said, with a smile.
The No 2 seed’s 7-6 (8), 4-6, 6-1 win over Tamara Zidansek was as tight as the scoreline sounds. She saved three set points in the opening-set tie-break and after dropping the second, it was only once she had got the break for 2-1 in the decider that she found her usual rhythm, pulling away for victory over a tenacious opponent.
