SAN JOSE, Calif. — Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur opened her Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic campaign with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Madison Keys. Seeded No.3, Jabeur will now face either Veronika Kudermetova or Claire Liu in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Playing in her first tournament since Wimbledon, Jabeur shook off the early rust to earn her second win over Keys. After breaking in the first game and build a 2-0 lead, Jabeur found herself down 3-5 as Keys, a champion in 2017, found her range.
Jabeur responded by winning 10 of the next 11 games to close out an 82-minute win.
“I’m grateful that I played at night because it’s slower and it helps me a little bit with the conditions,” Jabeur said on court after the win. “I know she plays the ball fast. But huge respect for her. She’s a great player. I knew it was going to be a tough match for me. I just tried to stay low and hit the ball as much as I can. Make her play another ball and in the end I was feeling much better.”
Jabeur finished the match with 7 winners to 12 unforced errors, while Keys hit 8 winners to 22 unforced errors. Most notably, Keys was unable to fire her vaunted serve past the World No.5. The American tallied zero aces on the night.
“It feels like home seeing all the Tunisian flags and all the Tunisians,” Jabeur said, reflecting on the support in her tournament debut. “Not just Tunisians, but also I know there are a lot of Arab fans here and Americans who supported me.”
Badosa battles back from the brink
No.2 seed Badosa rallied from 5-3 down in the third set to defeat American qualifier Elizabeth Mandlik, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(5) in the second round. Badosa was able to break the Mandlik twice as the 21-year-old served for the upset before edging the deciding tiebreak.
Ranked No.240, Mandlik received a last-minute wildcard into qualifying. The 21-year-old is the daughter of four-time Slam champion Hana Mandlikova. Badosa walked away impressed by Mandlik’s game.
“I think sometimes it’s a little bit confusing when you play against a player with her ranking because sometimes you don’t expect that kind of score and you think you’re not doing things well,” Badosa said. “But to be honest, I think I played pretty good and she only played unbelievable and I have to accept it.”
Badosa will face either Coco Gauff or Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals.
ABOUT THE MUBADALA SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC: Co-founded by Billie Jean King in 1971, the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world. Owned and operated by IMG, the Hologic WTA Tour 500-level event is the first women’s stop on the US Open Series and features a 28-player singles draw, and 16-team doubles draw.
ABOUT MUBADALA: Mubadala Investment Company is a sovereign investor managing a global portfolio, aimed at generating sustainable financial returns for the Government of Abu Dhabi. Mubadala’s $284 billion (AED 1045 billion) portfolio spans six continents with interests in multiple sectors and asset classes. We leverage our deep sectoral expertise and long-standing partnerships to drive sustainable growth and profit, while supporting the continued diversification and global integration of the economy of the United Arab Emirates. For more information about Mubadala Investment Company, please visit: www.mubadala.com
ABOUT THE US OPEN SERIES: The US Open Series is a true “regular season” of summer tennis in North America, linking nine summer WTA and ATP Tour tournaments to the US Open. The Series features a cohesive weekly schedule and centralizes how tennis is viewed in North America across multiple television and digital platforms. Fans will see today’s top champions go head-to-head with tomorrow’s emerging stars as storylines develop throughout the summer season. Each tournament also engages its local community with various outreach initiatives, including grass-roots youth tennis clinics and activities.
ABOUT IMG: IMG is a global leader in sports, events, fashion, and media. The company manages some of the world’s greatest athletes, and fashion icons, owns and operates hundreds of live events annually, and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media. IMG also specializes in licensing, sports training, and league development. IMG is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global entertainment, sports, and content company.
ABOUT SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY: The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, San José State provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in 250 areas of study – offered through its eight colleges. With more than 33,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, San José State University continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural, and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing 10,000 graduates to the workforce. The university is immensely proud of the accomplishments of its more than 260,000 alumni, 60 percent of whom live and work in the Bay Area.
Article orginally published on wtatennis.com