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Jabeur’s Day Spoiled By Ons And Marketa

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BY JAMES BECK

Poor Ons Jabeur.

I don’t think it was as much Marketa Vondrousova winning Wimbledon’s women’s title as it was  Jabeur losing Wimbledon’s final.

Jabeur can hit some of the prettiest shots you’ll ever see on the grand stage of Wimbledon.  All of her fans back home in Tunisia must have been celebrating Saturday morning when she took a 4-2 lead in the first set.

But so quickly, she was facing three break points. Five straight games went much that way, and Ons was down 6-4, 1-0.

The second set was much like the first as Jabeur practically gave away the match by again losing the last three games of a Wimbledon final with an avalanche of errors.

NO GREAT DAY FOR ONS FANS

Saturday would be Ons’ day, her fans thought, wiping out memories of her previous two appearances in Grand Slam finals. Or so, as her fans probably crossed their fingers.

An hour or so later, Jabeur would be crying at the awards celebration as she told her audience it was the most painful loss of her career. It was a 6-4, 6-4 loss to a Czech left-hander who looked far taller than 5-8 on this day.

Yes, Vondrousova stood tall on this day.

JUST ANOTHER RELATIVE UNKNOWN TO STEAL THE GLORY

It was just a repeat of Jabeur’s loss to Elena Rybakina in the 2022 Wimbledon final. But this one was even more hurting than that loss. Jabeur will always be known as the other player on Wimbledon’s famed Centre Court when Vondrousova became the first unseeded player ever to win a Wimbledon women’s singles championship.

The 5-6, 146-pound Jabeur is an amazing player, with a full bag of tricks, until she plays in a Grand Slam final.

After this one, her fans might now not expect as much from Jabeur.

BIG QUESTION? WHO TAKES OVER THE GAME

Here it is now that no one really knows what to expect next on the women’s tour.

All of a sudden, still world’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina and new star Vondrousova all look capable of taking over the women’s game, with Jabeur looking in from the sideline.

This wasn’t a great or exciting final in terms of caliber of play.

But wait until New York when the green grass turns into a hard surface.

— James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com

Wimbledon Women’s Final Pick – Will Ons Jabeur Take The Title?

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Ons Jabeur vs. Marketa Vondrousova

This feels like it’s a bit of a destiny run for Ons Jabeur. The trailblazing Arab woman was one set away from history last year in the Wimbledon final against Elena Rybakina. Armed with new confidence and the increased influence of her sports psychologist, Jabeur is the solid favorite against the unseeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova. While Czech lefty doesn’t have a number by her name on the draw, she is certainly accomplished and it’s not a fluke she is in the final, after playing the finals previously at the Olympics and Roland Garros. Czech lefties have fared very well in Wimbledon finals. Just ask Martina Navratilova and Petra Kvitova as well as a Czech named Jaroslav Drobny, who, ironically when he won the Wimbledon men’s title in 1954 was the only player representing an African nation (Egypt) to win a Wimbledon singles title. Vondrousova played incredibly well to beat Elina Svitolina in the semifinals, but nerves and a cooler hand will play a part in this final and Jabeur will win in two tight sets to raise the Venus Rosewater dish.

Wimbledon Day 11 Picks – Will It Be A Ukraine vs. Belarus Wimbledon Final With Elina Svitolina Against Aryna Sabalenka?

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Elina Svitolina vs. Marketa Vondrousova

Elina Svitolna is playing for her nation Ukraine with every swing of her racquet. She is as determined as the soldiers are fighting for their freedom on the front lines and while Marketa Vondrousova is crafty with a major final and an Olympic silver medal on her resume, she will not be able to break through against Svitolina here. The Ukrainian will provide for one of the great storylines in tennis and sports history as she also looks to join an elite group of mothers to win a major title.

Ons Jabeur vs. Aryna Sabalenka

One has the feeling that Jabeur has some unfinished destiny at Wimbledon after her final-round loss to Elena Rybakina in the 2022 final. She exacted revenge on Rybakina with a quarterfinal win, withstanding a hiccup after serving for the first set to win 6-7, 6-4, 6-1. This came after a straights-set destruction of two-time champion Petra Kvitova in the fourth round. Sabalenka has also been on quite a run, losing only 15 games in her last three matches. We are leaning Jabeur here to return to the final with a tough three-set victory.

Elina Svitolina

Wimbledon Day 10 Picks – Does Chris Eubanks Upset Daniil Medvedev?

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Ons Jabeur vs. Elena Rybakina

This is a rematch of last year’s Wimbledon final where Elena Rybakina lost the first set but prevailed in three sets against Ons Jabeur. The pressure of the defending champion has to be getting to Rybakina and in her mind that she beat Jabeur last year and that she has to do it again. Jabeur destroyed Petra Kvitova in the previous round and is showing to be healthy and sharp and we are picking her to avenge last year’s defeat and reach the semifinals.

Daniil Medvedev vs. Chris Eubanks

Chris Eubanks is THE story in American tennis right now as he has streaked into this quarterfinal match after an inspiring win over Stefanos Tsitsipas the previous round. Eubanks is having fun, playing great, humble and appreciative of everything and is swinging for the fences with no pressure. He’s better on grass than Medvedev and we are taking Eubanks to take it at least one more round with the upset of the Russian.

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Holger Rune

Have you seen the video of these two playing doubles together as 13-year-olds on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3gyVfDiWz4 This could be the rivalry of the next generation and we are taking Alcaraz to advance past Rune here but it was be very hard fought.

Wimbledon Day Six Picks – What Does ChatGPT Think Who Will Win Between Ons Jabeur and Bianca Andreescu?

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Petra Kvitova vs. Natalija Stevanovic

As the tournament gets deeper, the picks are certainly harder as players are more closely matched. Petra Kvitova, one of the tournament favorites, should get by easily against the relatively unknown player from Serbia. Stevanovic advanced into the event via qualifying and beat former finalist and world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in the first round but she will likely run out of physical and mental energy here against the two-time Wimbledon champion.

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Nicolas Jarry

Do you have the chops to beat a big player on a big court in a big tournament? Do you really believe you can win? There is a slight locker room affect here with Alcaraz which gives him an extra edge and while he hasn’t looked terribly dominate, it’s survive and advance and Alcaraz will do so in this match against the talented Chilean.

Ons Jabeur vs. Bianca Andreescu

There are many toss-up matches on the Day Six schedule from Wimbledon and this is one of them. We asked ChatGPT about who would win this match and this is what it said, “As an AI, I don’t have access to real-time information or the ability to predict the outcomes of future events such as tennis matches. The outcome of the Wimbledon tennis match between Ons Jabeur and Bianca Andreescu will be determined by their performance on the day of the match. It’s best to follow the latest updates from reliable sources or watch the match to find out who wins. Enjoy the match!” With that said, we will go with Jabeur to win a tight three-setter as she is a bit more match tough than the oft-injured but tenacious Andreescu.

Roland Garros Day 11 Picks – Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune Is The Man

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Ons Jabeur vs. Bea Haddad-Maia

Ons Jabeur declared herself 100 percent fit for Roland Garros at the start of the event, after months dealing with injury woes. Perhaps she came into the French Championships with little expectations, but she will reach the semifinals in Paris for the first time with a win over Haddad-Maia who won’t have much fight after her nearly four hour round of 16 win.

Iga Swiatek vs. Coco Gauff

This quarterfinal is a rematch of the 2022 French final that was won by Swiatek 6-1, 6-3. Swiatek has cruised into the semifinals losing only nine games, while Gauff has been off at times. Swiatek will face added resistance against Gauff but ultimately will prevail.

Alexander Zverev vs. Tomas Etcheverry

Etcheverry, playing in his first major quarterfinal, is going to, deep down, be happy with his result, while Zverev feels he has more track to run on in Paris and will win in straight sets.

Holger Rune vs. Casper Ruud

If you go to the Universal Tennis (MyUTR.com) website, you will see that Casper Ruud has a 15.92 rating. You will also find out that Holger Rune is listed by his full name Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune and his UTR is 16.09. The man with four names will prevail.

Holger Rune

Day Three Roland Garros Picks – Is Ons Jabeur Really 100 Percent Or Is She Fibbing?

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J.J. Wolf vs. Yoshihito Nishioka

This is an intriguing match since it is basically a “pick ‘em” because J.J. Wolf has a UTR of 15.57 and Nishioka has a UTR of 15.58. Nishioka is ranked No. 33 and seeded No. 32 at Roland Garros and J.J. Wolf is ranked No. 50. A win from Wolf, on paper, would be considered an “upset” since Nishioka is seeded so those who wish to put a buck or two on these matches may get some better return with a tip towards Wolf. To boot, Nishioka has lost his last three matches entering Roland Garros while Wolf had a strong appearance in Rome, reaching the third round that included an impressive win over Hubert Hurkacz. Look for Wolf to fly the American flag into the second round here.

Ons Jabeur vs. Lucia Bronzetti

The biggest question with Ons Jabeur is her health. She is getting over right knee surgery and a left calif injury, which has hampered her on the red clay this season. However, she said pre-event that she is 100 percent fit. But what else is she going to say in advance of playing her opponents? That she is hurt and has trouble with this or that? That would be giving her opponents inside and advance information, so that those comments with a grain of salt. The women’s game is now fascinatingly wide open with many early round upsets and lower-ranked players going deep into draws. Let’s take a flyer here and go with Bronzetti with the upset here. She’s also on a bit of roll having won the title a week ago in Rabat, Morocco but has had a week to digest that great win, that included a win over Sloane Stephens in the semifinals.

Gael Monfils vs. Sebastian Baez

Based on reputation and that this is French Open, it’s easy to take Monfils to win here, but the entertaining French shotmaker is approaching the winter of his career and enters this match ranked No. 394 and his UTR is 15.03. He’s lost his last eight fully-completed matches and hasn’t shown to be fully fit, coming back from injury and also becoming a father. He hasn’t won a full match since last August. Baez, from Argentina, is a dirt-baller and is ranked No. 42 and has a 15.25. This could be the farewell match for Monfils at Roland Garros.

Iga Swiatek Wins U.S. Open; Jabeur “Will Not Give Up”In Major Title Quest

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World No. 1 Iga Swiatek defeated Tunisian Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6(5) to win her first U.S. Open title and second major tournament victory of 2022 and third overall.

The 21-year-old Pole spent just one hour and 51 minutes to beat the No. 5 seed Jabeur, also the runner-up Wimbledon. Despite being the world No. 1, many did not believe Swiatek would be the last player standing in New York, due to the unpredictability in women’s tennis and the fact that Swiatek was only 2-2 on hard courts leading into the U.S. Open.

Swiatek was off to a 3-0 lead before Jabeur hit five clean winners to help pull back to 3-2. Swiatek kept her dominating style, breaking Jabeur twice more to win the first set. The second set opened much alike the first with Swiatek taking the first three games and Jabeur pulling two back before it was dragged into tiebreak where the Pole won on her first match point on Jabeur’s forehand unforced error.

“It’s part of tennis, winning or losing is part of it,” said Jabeur, who was looking to win her first major title and become the first Muslim player to win a major singles title. “I struggled to win my first WTA title. It took me time. So I believe this will take me time. The most important thing is accepting it, learning from the finals that I lost. I’m not someone that going to give up.”

Swiatek becomes the first Polish player to win the U.S. Championships, achieving what 1937 U.S. women’s runner-up Jadwiga Jedrzejowska was not able to do.
After winning the French Open as an unseeded player in 2020, Swiatek was immediately thrust into the top of women’s tennis upon the retirement of dominant No. 1 Ash Barty in March of this year. She won the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in March which clinched the No. 2 ranking, but was placed at No. 1 after Barty asked to be taken off the WTA rankings after her retirement announcement. She had a 37-match win streak that included her second title at Roland Garros. She struggled a bit since winning in Paris, losing in the third round at Wimbledon at the top seed and then going only 2-2 in U.S. summer hard court events leading into the U.S. Open.

Elena Rybakina Rallies To Beat Ons Jabeur In Wimbledon Final

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Elena Rybakina beat Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon to become the first player representing Kazakhstan to win a major singles title. The No. 23-ranked Rybakina, with odds at 100-to-1 to win the tournament at the start of the event, is the lowest-ranked women’s winner at the All England Club since Venus Williams, who was ranked No. 31 in 2007, but who was already a three-time Wimbledon winner and former world No. 1.

Born and still residing in Moscow, Russia, Rybakina avoided the ban on Russian and Belarussian player from Wimbledon due to the Ukraine war this year since she has been representing Kazakhastan, a former Soviet Republic, since 2018. Kazakhstan provided financial support to Rybakina when the Russian Tennis Federation did not.

This was the first women’s title match since 1962 at the All England Club between two players who were making their debuts in a major final. Jabeur, the world No. 2, was looking to become the first player from Tunisia and the first Arab woman to win a major title.

Rybakina, who finished fourth at the Olympic Games last summer in Toyko, started slowly, unable to get her big serve working as Jabeur looked poised to take the title with a relatively easy first set won. Rybakina, however, connected more of her powerful serves and ground strokes and blitzed to the second set. The turning point in the match came with Rybakina serving up a break at 3-2 in the third set when she fought out of a 0-40 deficit to hold serve and close out the victory.

Elena Rybakina