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.
Facing a third American opponent in a row, Jabeur was more efficient. She 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, with her signature drop shot in fine form. Increasingly throughout the match, Jabeur even used it directly off the return of serve, a tactic that repeatedly paid dividends.
The Tunisian will next face either 2023 Rome finalist Anhelina Kalinina or two-time Bogota champion Camila Osorio, against both of whom she holds a 2-0 head-to-head record.
More to come…