Ons Jabeur of Tunisia moved into the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open by holding off fast-rising 17-year-old qualifier Wakana Sonobe of Japan 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday.
"It was definitely a great match for me," Jabeur said afterwards. "Always tough playing young players, lefty ones, it’s always tricky. I’m glad that I pulled [out] the win in two sets."
Abu Dhabi: Draws | Scores | Order of play | 411
With her 73-minute victory, former World No. 2 Jabeur matched her result from her Abu Dhabi tournament debut last year, where she also reached the quarterfinals before falling to Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Jabeur's latest win set up a marquee quarterfinal on Thursday, pitting the Arab superstar against No. 1 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in a rematch of the 2022 Wimbledon final. Rybakina won that Grand Slam final, but Jabeur won their most recent meeting in the 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinals and leads their head-to-head 3-2.
With another quality result, Jabeur continues to rebound from a shoulder injury that kept her off court from last August through the end of 2024. She is into her second quarterfinal of the year, following Brisbane, and holds a strong 8-3 win-loss record in 2025.
"[This season] I was really trying to focus on myself, trying to be healthier on the court," Jabeur said. "But at the same time not really care about the results, and try to just enjoy my time on the court.
"I do put a lot of pressure on myself, also that I was trying to get rid of. So I’m not [doing] anything specific, just enjoying my time to play and obviously always be hungry to win."
Sonobe has also been having a season to celebrate. Last month, the left-hander became the first Japanese player to win the Australian Open junior girls' singles title. This week in Abu Dhabi, Sonobe came through qualifying to make her WTA main-draw debut and promptly upset World No. 55 Yuan Yue for her first tour-level win.
Sonobe hung with Jabeur through the first half of the opening set, but the deft court craft of Jabeur ultimately led to the Japanese teen losing her last three service games of the opener. Jabeur fittingly sealed the one-set lead with a winning drop shot.
Sonobe broke Jabeur at love to start the second set, and the teen’s sturdy lefty forehand will be a shot to watch as her career progresses. Nevertheless, Jabeur quickly regained control, breaking Sonobe twice in the second set and closing out the win with an unreturned serve.
Overall, Jabeur won just over half of Sonobe’s service points, which led to the Tunisian converting five of her seven break points on the day.
Badosa, Kasatkina fall: Later on Wednesday, two of the Top 3 seeds were ousted in the Abu Dhabi second round.
Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic cruised past No. 2 seed Paula Badosa of Spain 6-4, 6-1 in just 67 minutes. Noskova converted six of her nine break points in the first career meeting between the two power hitters.
Badosa is enjoying a return to the Top 10 after reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open, but the former World No. 2 was bested by 39th-ranked Noskova on this occasion.
The 20-year-old Noskova has already had success at this tournament level, winning her first career title at WTA 500 Monterrey last year. By toppling Badosa, Noskova attained her seventh career Top 10 win and first of this season.
Another 20-year-old, American Ashlyn Krueger, battled to a 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 upset of No. 3 seed Daria Kasatkina. World No. 51 Krueger shook off a quick first-set loss to topple 11th-ranked Kasatkina in 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Kasatkina defeated Krueger en route to last year's Abu Dhabi final, during a season where she was spectacular at WTA 500-level. Kasatkina won two WTA 500 events in 2024 (Eastbourne and Ningbo) and reached four additional WTA 500 finals, including Abu Dhabi.
But it was Krueger who came out on top this time around, notching her first win over Kasatkina in their three career meetings. Krueger has already made three quarterfinals this year and will next take on No. 8 seed Leylah Fernandez on Thursday.
