No.8 seed Ons Jabeur kicked off her Roland Garros campaign with a solid 6-3, 6-2 defeat of wild card Sachia Vickery in 1 hour and 21 minutes under the Court Suzanne-Lenglen roof.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist comes into Paris seeking some consistent form following a stop-start first half of the season. Injuries, particularly a long-term knee issue, have beset Jabeur in 2024 and her record ahead of this week was just six wins to nine losses. A quarterfinal run in Madrid offered hope of a turnaround, but Jabeur's run in that tournament ended with a third-set collapse against Madison Keys, followed by an opening exit in Rome to Sofia Kenin.
However, Jabeur was in confident mood after an efficient win over a third American opponent in a row. She said she overcame some early tension and managed to "play in a relaxed way" as the match went on.
"I aim for a deep run," she said. "I did a wonderful preparation. I practiced a lot, and I never dropped a set during practice sessions. I hope that I will see that again on the major courts, such as Philippe Chatrier, and I hope to get the upper hand every time. But I will see it point after point, ball after ball, game after game, and we'll see."
Jabeur said she had needed to find her bearings in the heavy conditions, and her success in doing so was evident in the amount of drop shots she threw at Vickery, which increased as the match went on. Such was Jabeur's confidence that she repeatedly deployed them directly off the return, invariably with success.
"I managed my drop shots well," she said. "It has always helped me to overwhelm the opponent, to prevent my opponent from going to the net."
Jabeur had lost to Vickery in their only previous meeting, in the first round of the 2018 Chicago WTA 125 event, back when she was ranked outside the Top 100. Moreover, No.124-ranked Vickery has been in form recently, pushing Coco Gauff to a tight three sets in Stuttgart.
However, Jabeur got off to a quick start in each set, capturing the Vickery serve at the first opportunity both times. She was able to keep her nose in front throughout, dropping serve only once (and facing just one other break point outside that game). In total, she tallied 30 winners to 28 unforced errors.
Head to Head
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The Tunisian will next face Bogota champion Camila Osorio, who advanced when Anhelina Kalinina was forced to retire trailing 3-6, 7-6(2), 4-1. Osorio had saved triple match point when Kalinina served at 6-5 in the second set. Jabeur was victorious in both of their previous career meetings, both of which took place at the US Open in 2021 and 2023.
