Ons Jabeur reversed the result of last year’s Charleston Open final, this time defeating Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic 7-6(6), 6-4 on Sunday in South Carolina.
Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur won the Charleston Open in South Carolina on Sunday thanks to her quick reflexes, creativity, and a little bit of luck.
Ons Jabeur, a tennis prodigy from Tunisia, won the Charleston Open in South Carolina on Sunday thanks to her quick reflexes, creativity, and a little bit of luck.
During the match, world number five Jabeur was directly in the path of a shot from her Swiss opponent Belinda Bencic.
Jabeur displayed her agility by leaping and returning the ball to Bencic through her legs using a racket technique from behind her body.
Jabeur responded to Bencic’s succeeding shot with a winning backhand, allowing her to tie the first set at 5-5. The Tunisian tennis prodigy ultimately prevailed with a 7-6 (6), 6-4 victory.
“I responded quickly,” Jabeur explained. “I saw the ball approaching. So I thought, “Okay, I’ll just give her one more ball to play with and observe.”
With the support of the audience, she capitalized on the momentum to win her third WTA championship of her career.
Jabeur recognized the significance of that stroke, which prevented Bencic from winning the first set.
“I believe I was lucky and creative with that incredible shot, which altered the game somewhat,” she said.
Jabeur also won four consecutive points in the first-set tiebreaker when Bencic was on the verge of seizing control of the match.
Bencic, the defending champion who had defeated Jabeur in three sets the year prior, praised Jabeur’s stroke.
Bencic stated, “To play that on a break point is just, I mean, well done.” “What exactly can I do?”
Bencic joked that if they met in a grand slam final and Jabeur replicated the move, she would “kill” her opponent.
Three times during the final set, Jabeur broke Bencic’s serve. When Bencic’s service return landed wide, Jabeur raised her arms triumphantly to celebrate her first victory on American soil.
“I wish every tournament was this heartfelt and genuine,” she said as she accepted the trophy. “Extremely impressive tournament; I hope to return.”
Bencic advanced to the final by defeating No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula in a two-day, straight-set match due to showers. She won the second set just thirty minutes prior to the final.
In the opening game of the finals, Jabeur labored initially against Bencic’s serves and lost her serve.
After saving two set points in the tiebreaker, Jabeur won the second set and ended Bencic’s 10-match winning string on the green clay of Charleston.
It was Jabeur’s first title since June 2022, when she won on grass in Berlin, where she also defeated Bencic.
