Ons Jabeur, the No. 4 seed from Tunisia, faced Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti in the Zhengzhou Open in China. Jabeur triumphed with a 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory, but the match was a test of resilience for both players as they struggled with their serves.
Jabeur was pushed to her limits, having to fend off 12 of 17 break points. Similarly, Bronzetti saved nine of 15 break points, making for an intense and competitive contest that lasted just under two hours.
Jabeur demonstrated her ability to rally from behind when she was down 5-2 in the second set, eventually prevailing in the tiebreak after being at a 4-2 deficit.
However, following her victory, Jabeur was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a knee injury, expressing her regret in a statement. She expressed her love for her time in Zhengzhou but conceded that her knee was not feeling great.
The Zhengzhou Open had other results to note, with No. 8 Daria Kasatkina of Russia advancing to the semifinals via walkover after her victory over Chinese wild card Zhuoxuan Bai. No. 7 Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic defeated Croatia’s Petra Martic, while Germany’s Laura Siegemund eliminated No. 11 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia in a hard-fought match.
In the Hana Bank Korea Open, top-seeded Jessica Pegula emerged victorious, advancing to the quarterfinals after defeating fellow American Ashlyn Krueger. Emina Bektas also secured her place in the final eight with a win over Korea’s Su Jeong Jang, while Marie Bouzkova was leading before Germany’s Eva Lys was forced to retire.
In the Hong Kong Open, Canada’s Leylah Fernandez made a comeback to win her second-round match against 16-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva. Fernandez is set to face 18-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova in the quarterfinals.
Several other notable players, including Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Elise Mertens, and Sara Sorribes Tomo, also advanced in their respective matches, making for an exciting day of tennis in these tournaments.
