Former World No.2 Ons Jabeur notched her first Top 20 win in eight months on Tuesday at the Adelaide International, coming from 5-3 down in the first set to defeat No.4 seed Danielle Collins 7-6(6), 6-2 and advance to the second round.
Earlier, No.8 seed and defending champion Jelena Ostapenko started slow but finished fast against Magdalena Frech, losing the first four games of the match but roaring back for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory. The Latvian fired 58 winners in total, including four consecutive clean return winners to close out the contest. She will next face 2022 champion Madison Keys, who routed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2, 6-1 in a clash of two Top 20 players.
Jabeur is making her comeback from a shoulder injury, which sidelined her for the last four months of the 2024 season. With her ranking down at No.40, she is competing in Adelaide as a wild card. However, the Tunisian pulled off a succession of dazzling shots to get the better of Collins for just the second time in five meetings.
The three-time major finalist drew gasps with a series of forehands slammed down the line at full stretch, as well as a handful of crafty backhand slice passes. Strong serving from Collins took the American to the brink of the first set, but her groundstrokes went awry as she attempted to serve it out. Jabeur edged a tight tiebreak on her third set point before pulling away in the second set.
"Very proud, especially with my forehand today," said Jabeur in her on-court interview. The 30-year-old also opened up about how her break from the tour had benefited her.
"Physically and especially mentally, I was a bit tired from playing a lot of tournaments for a lot of years in a row," said Jabeur. "The fact that I got to spend a bit of time with my family really helped me a lot, just to know where I am and to get out of the routine of packing my bags, going to a tennis tournament. I got to do a little bit of charity work, which was really helpful and made me realize how grateful I am to have this life."
The result was Jabeur's first victory over a Top 20 opponent since she defeated Ostapenko in Madrid last April, and marks another encouraging result already this season following her quarterfinal run in Brisbane last week. She will next face Yulia Putintseva, against whom she is yet to drop a set in three previous meetings.
Elsewhere, lucky loser Ashlyn Krueger also continued her strong start to 2025, notching her second Top 20 win in as many weeks 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 over Marta Kostyuk. No.6 seed Diana Shnaider posted her first victory of the year with a seesaw 6-3, 0-6, 6-0 defeat of qualifier Katerina Siniakova, and qualifier Belinda Bencic advanced after No.7 seed Anna Kalinskaya retired due to a viral illness trailing 6-2, 1-0. Bencic, the 2023 champion, returned from maternity leave in October.
