AIRLINK 74.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.25 (-0.34%)
BOP 5.14 Increased By ▲ 0.09 (1.78%)
CNERGY 4.55 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (2.94%)
DFML 37.15 Increased By ▲ 1.31 (3.66%)
DGKC 89.90 Increased By ▲ 1.90 (2.16%)
FCCL 22.40 Increased By ▲ 0.20 (0.9%)
FFBL 33.03 Increased By ▲ 0.31 (0.95%)
FFL 9.75 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.41%)
GGL 10.75 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-0.46%)
HBL 115.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.40 (-0.35%)
HUBC 137.10 Increased By ▲ 1.26 (0.93%)
HUMNL 9.95 Increased By ▲ 0.11 (1.12%)
KEL 4.60 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.22%)
KOSM 4.83 Increased By ▲ 0.17 (3.65%)
MLCF 39.75 Decreased By ▼ -0.13 (-0.33%)
OGDC 138.20 Increased By ▲ 0.30 (0.22%)
PAEL 27.00 Increased By ▲ 0.57 (2.16%)
PIAA 24.24 Decreased By ▼ -2.04 (-7.76%)
PIBTL 6.74 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.3%)
PPL 123.62 Increased By ▲ 0.72 (0.59%)
PRL 27.40 Increased By ▲ 0.71 (2.66%)
PTC 13.90 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-0.71%)
SEARL 61.75 Increased By ▲ 3.05 (5.2%)
SNGP 70.15 Decreased By ▼ -0.25 (-0.36%)
SSGC 10.52 Increased By ▲ 0.16 (1.54%)
TELE 8.57 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.12%)
TPLP 11.10 Decreased By ▼ -0.28 (-2.46%)
TRG 64.02 Decreased By ▼ -0.21 (-0.33%)
UNITY 26.76 Increased By ▲ 0.71 (2.73%)
WTL 1.38 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
BR100 7,874 Increased By 36.2 (0.46%)
BR30 25,596 Increased By 136 (0.53%)
KSE100 75,342 Increased By 411.7 (0.55%)
KSE30 24,214 Increased By 68.6 (0.28%)

NEW YORK: An ailing Ons Jabeur scraped by Czech Marie Bouzkova 5-7 7-6(5) 6-3 to keep her latest US Open campaign on track in the third round on Saturday despite an error-riddled performance.

The Tunisian fifth seed said this week she was feeling like a “zombie” due to illness but came back from the dead to overcome a cool-headed Bouzkova, firing off 56 winners under the lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

She will next play China’s Zheng Qinwen, who beat Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-3 4-6 6-4, in the round of 16.

“It’s a very tough match from both of us,” said Jabeur, last year’s runner-up. “She didn’t want to stop. I tried my best today and she’s a great player.”

Jabeur may be known as the “Minister of Happiness” but the perennial fan favorite had little to smile about in the opening set, as her mistakes quickly piled up and Bouzkova broke her on the fifth try in the fourth game.

The Tunisian broke back with a nice backhand slice in the ninth game but handed Bouzkova another break with a double fault on set point.

Down a break in the second set, Bouzkova took an off-court medical timeout after the seventh game with an apparent leg injury but kept up the fight even as she occasionally limped around the court, breaking back in the 10th.

Jabeur, who at times hunched over on the court in clear discomfort, found new life in the tiebreak, where she fired off crisp forehand winners to push the affair into a third set. She got the critical break in the sixth set as Bouzkova double faulted and nodded solemnly as the Czech hit a shot into the net on match point, sealing the nearly three-hour slugfest.

The Wimbledon runner-up said she had struggled to catch her breath early in the match but was grateful to be playing at all after suffering a foot injury in Cincinnati.

“Every match for me is a bonus right now,” she told ESPN. I’m discovering a part of myself.“

Jabeur said she expects a big challenge from fourth-round foe Zheng, against whom she retired in their last meeting in Toronto in 2022. “She kicked my ass,” said Jabeur. “Learned a lot. She has a very good forehand… It’s going to be a tough one, for sure.”

Comments

Comments are closed.