Ons Jabeur says she has no regrets about her performance after losing in straight sets to Iga Swiatek in the final of the US Open.
Playing in her second consecutive Grand Slam final, the Tunisian fell 6-2, 7-6(5) to Swiatek after staging a late fightback in the match. At one stage she was on the verge of going behind 2-6, 0-4. The encounter was a historic moment for Jabeur who is the first African woman to ever contest a title match at the tournament in the Open Era.
However, she was unable to claim her first major title against Swiatek, who had the edge when it came to the clutch moments of the match. Jabeur also produced a costly 33 unforced errors which were more than double her winner count of 14.
“I know she didn’t play as good as the first set at certain times, maybe I should have taken my shot,” she said afterwards.
“I have nothing to regret because I did everything possible. I wish I served a little bit better. It would have helped me a lot.’
“Iga, how she plays in finals. It’s very tough to beat her. I will keep positive and work on the things that were missing.”
The 28-year-old admits that she felt more nervous in her latest encounter than when she played his first major final at Wimbledon. On that occasion, Jabeur boasted a one-set lead before losing to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina. She has won three out of 10 Tour finals contested so far in her career but is yet to claim a title on a hardcourt.
“I was pretty nervous. Maybe more nervous than Wimbledon, for sure. But, again, I did everything possible to prepare for this final,” she said. “I worked on my breathing. I tried to really release that stress. I think this one was more stressful for me. I will definitely learn from it.”
There is some consultation for Jabeur who will rise to No.2 in the rankings on Monday, a position she briefly held in June. She is already the highest-ranked player from an African country in either WTA or ATP rankings history.
Although it is the top spot that she is targeting. Heading into the final quarter of the season, Jabeur has 4496 points which is a way off Swiatek’s tally of 9560 points. Although Janeur could make significant progress in the New Year at both the Australian Open and French Open where she has no ranking points to defend.
“Points-wise, I don’t have defending points in Australia, in French Open, which is good. It’s a good thing. I’m definitely going for the No. 1 spot,” said Jabeur.
“I still have the Masters (WTA Finals in Fort Worth). I will maybe show myself there and build more confidence to really get ready for the next season because I feel like I have a lot to show.”
Jabeur is a late-bloomer on the Tour. She didn’t win her first Tour title at the Eastbourne International until last year when she was 26. During the same year, she also cracked the top 20 for the first time. Whilst it might have taken a while to find her footing, she hopes her journey will inspire other African girls.
“Always believing in themselves, never give up. That’s what I was trying to do all my career. I had some ups and downs. Before, it was injuries and getting to know myself on the court. After, it was losing quarterfinals. Then it evolved to losing finals. Then getting titles. Then I moved on,” she replied when asked what advice would she give.
“I played a lot of African tournaments before and championships. The way they fight there and everything, it’s just amazing. Hopefully just one day they can find the right person to guide them and be here. But most important not to give up.”
