Ons Jabeur has had to battle not just her foes, but also the flu this week at the U.S. Open. So far, she has fought her way through both.
The 2022 U.S. Open finalist had to gut her way past Czech teenager Linda Noskova for a 7-6 (7), 4-6, 6-3 win Thursday night at the Grandstand court.
“Yeah, I’ve been sick since Thursday. I’m taking a lot of medicine. I’m doing everything I can with my team trying to recover,” Jabeur, the No. 5 seed, said after the second-round win. “Honestly, they have amazing doctors here, so they’ve been helping me. Every day I’m there. Basically took every medication they have.
“We try to manage what my health is right now. I’m glad it was two matches, two tests for me. I was trying to push myself to see what I can do, getting out of the comfort zone kind of. Yeah, hopefully will continue in a better shape and feel better for the next match.”
After she clearly had trouble breathing during her opener on Tuesday, Jabeur coughed and labored at times to catch her breath again against Noskova.
But unlike several other players who have complained of stomach issues at this Open, the Tunisian isn’t having gastrointestinal problems.
“I’m a zombie because I have a flu,” Jabeur said. “Actually my stomach is fine. It’s not the stomach. I got a flu or something. I know some other players got stomach issues. Not me, thankfully. But yeah, it was a great test for me [Thursday]. Definitely, she’s one of the great players.”
After Jabeur pulled out a tough opening set, the 18-year-old Noskova responded and won the second.
Jabeur, who lost their earlier meeting in the Adelaide semifinals in January, staved off a break point Thursday to take a 2-1 lead in the tiebreaker. She finally took charge in the eighth game and, after four match points, closed it out.
“I think it was a great match for both of us. I do respect her a lot. I think she’s the future in tennis, for sure,” Jabeur said. “Yeah, it was nice to get the win, even though it was very difficult, especially the second set, for me.”
Jabeur already has earned the sobriquet Minister of Happiness back in Tunisia for her upbeat persona, and she may have earned a new moniker here: Warrior.
“I tried to stay calm and obviously the crowd didn’t give up. So thank you so much,” Jabeur told the fans following the match, and after being told she fought like a warrior, she replied “This is a very special tournament. I think I’m going to use ‘warrior’ as a symbol for this tournament to continue until the end.”
She is now set up for a third-round clash with Czech Marie Bouzkova.
“I have a lot of respect for Czech tennis school, in general. They really, really have amazing players. Another test against Marie. She’s amazing, too,” Jabeur said. “It’s going to be tough playing her, but I’m going to get ready and hopefully prepare well for the match.”
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