Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur showed her quick reflexes, creativity and a touch of fortune on her way to clinching the Charleston Open championship in South Carolina on Sunday.
World number five Jabeur found herself directly in the path of a shot from her Swiss opponent, Belinda Bencic, during the match.
Demonstrating her agility, Jabeur jumped and returned the ball through her legs to Bencic, with a racket manoeuvre from behind her body.
Bencic's subsequent shot was met with a winning backhand by Jabeur, allowing her to tie the opening set at 5-5. The Tunisian tennis sensation ultimately emerged victorious with a 7-6 (6), 6-4 win.
“I reacted very fast,” Jabeur explained. “I saw the ball coming at me. So I was like, ‘OK, I’m just going to give her one more ball to play and see'.”
With the crowd's support, she capitalised on the momentum, securing her third career WTA title.
Jabeur acknowledged the significance of that particular shot, which prevented Bencic from winning the opening set.
“I think I was lucky and creative with that shot, which was amazing and it changed up the game a bit,” she said.
There were other key moments for Jabeur, which included winning four consecutive points in the first-set tiebreaker when Bencic was on the verge of seizing control.
Bencic, the reigning champion who had defeated Jabeur in a three-set match the previous year, expressed her admiration for Jabeur's shot.
“To play that on a break point is just, I mean, well done,” Bencic said. “Like what can I do?”
Jokingly, Bencic said that if they were to face off in a grand slam final and Jabeur replicated the move, she would “kill her.”
During the final set, Jabeur broke Bencic's serve three times. When Bencic's service return landed wide, Jabeur triumphantly raised her arms, celebrating her first win on American soil.
“I wish every tournament is like this, really, from the heart,” she said while accepting the trophy. “Really amazing tournament and I hope I can come back.”
Bencic advanced to the final by defeating No 1 seed Jessica Pegula in a straight-sets match played over two days because of rain. She won the second set only half an hour before the final.
Jabeur initially struggled against Bencic's serves and lost her serve in the opening game of the finals.
After fending off two set points in the tiebreaker, Jabeur clinched the second set, ending Bencic's 10-match winning streak on Charleston's green clay.
It was Jabeur's first title since winning on grass in Berlin in June 2022, where she also defeated Bencic.
