Google News No. 1 seed Ons Jabeur praises qualifier after surviving last-16 test in Berlin
by DZEVAD MESIC | VIEW 2769
World No. 4 Ons Jabeur said qualifier Alycia Parks was a difficult opponent to play against but added she was glad that she was able to close out the match in two sets. First-seeded Jabeur entered the match as the big favorite but Parks refused to easily go down.
However, Jabeur was able to avoid a shock loss as she handed the American qualifier a 6-2 7-6 (8) loss and progressed into the Berlin quarterfinal. "[It was] difficult to play with that [low] amount of rallies. Especially her serve is really fast, so I had to adapt my return.
The second set, she started to play much better, and I had to take my chances when I had the break," Jabeur said after her win, per the WTA website. "It's tough, I should have taken my chances when I was serving [in the tiebreak].
I knew if it was gonna be 6-5 it would be really tough for me. But I'm glad I stayed calm afterwards."
Jabeur managed to get the job done against Parks in straight sets
Jabeur put the pressure on Parks' serve early on but missed out on three break points in the opening game.
Jabeur maybe didn't get a break in the opening game but earned back-to-back breaks in the third and fifth games to take a 4-1 lead. Parks got one break back in the sixth game but the struggles on her service continued as Jabeur earned her third break in the seventh game to open a 5-2 lead.
In the eighth game, Jabeur realized her first set point to win the opener. After winning the first set, Jabeur earned the first break of the second set in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. Down by a set and a break, Parks refused to quit as she broke back Jabeur in the sixth game and eventually forced a tie-break.
In the tie-break, Parks had a set point but failed to realize. On the other side, Jabeur missed out on her first four match points, but converted her fifth to seal a straight-set victory.