PARIS -- No.7 Ons Jabeur came back from a set down to defeat Serbian qualifier Olga Danilovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 and advance to the Round of 16 at Roland Garros.
The French Open remains the only Slam where she has yet to make it past the Round of 16, having fallen at that stage in 2020 and 2021. A junior champion in 2011, Jabeur will face No.36 Bernarda Pera for a spot in her first quarterfinal in Paris.
"I'm gonna give it 100 percent," Jabeur said. "We learn from the other fourth rounds that I lost here. Obviously have much more experience than the other times. Let the dream continue.
"Roland Garros is very close to my heart, and a Grand Slam that I always dreamed of winning with the big girls."
French Open: Scores | Order of play | Draw
The victory brings Jabeur's 2023 record on clay to 10-2, having pocketed the bulk of those wins during her title run in Charleston. She is one of four players to split the four biggest clay-court titles, along with No.1 Iga Swiatek (Stuttgart), No.2 Aryna Sabalenka (Madrid), and No.4 Elena Rybakina (Rome).
She's got it 🤹♀️#RolandGarros | @Ons_Jabeur pic.twitter.com/AxleyywloO
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2023
Turning point: After getting broken to lose the opening set 6-4, Jabeur broke first in the second set to lead 3-2. Serving to consolidate the break, she faced down four break points in the longest game of the match. She saved them all, finally converting on her third game point to survive the six-deuce game.
The two would exchange breaks before Jabeur stepped to the line to serve out the set at 5-4. Danilovic continued her relentless return pressure to earn a break point to level the set. The Tunisian responded with her best forehand of the night, a searing inside-out winner that brought the game back to deuce. She closed out the set two points later.
How the match was won: Having leveled the match at one set apiece, Jabeur continued her momentum in the final set. She broke Danilovic twice to build a 4-1 lead and did not relinquish her lead from there. She closed out the 2-hour and 12-minute comeback with a forehand flourish to seal the win.
Words from the winner: "For me, today it's about a great transformation, great transformation of energy, of attitude on the court, of so many things," Jabeur said. "So hopefully the next step will be even better, and I can approach the second week stronger and ready to play better against lefties."
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Key stat: Danilovic overpowered Jabeur for much of the match, firing 13 winners to nine unforced errors in the first set and 11 winners to 14 unforced errors in the second set. But the tide shifted in the final set, as Jabeur held Danilovic to just five winners. The 22-year-old qualifier also began to misfire, hitting 16 unforced errors in the final frame.
Next up: Jabeur will face Pera for the first time since 2019. Their last meeting came on hard courts at 2019 Guangzhou, with Pera winning 6-4, 6-3.
Pera advanced to her first Round of 16 at a major with a trio of strong wins. After defeating former No.2 Anett Kontaveit in the first round, Pera defeated 22nd-seed Donna Vekic in the second round and Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the third round on Saturday.