Tennis:Ons Jabeur wins Berlin Open title after Belinda Bencic retired following an ankle injury
Tunisia's Ons Jabeur bagged the second grasscourt tournament win of her career after reigning Olympic champion Belinda Bencic retired due to an injury in the final of the Berlin Open on Sunday
Berlin, Germany. 19th June, 2022. Tennis, WTA Tour, final, singles, women, competition, Jabeur (Tunisia) - Bencic (Switzerland), Steffi Graf Stadium: Ons Jabeur (r) takes care of the injuredBelinda Bencic slipped towards the end of the first set and couldn't continue even after receiving treatment. Jabeur was leading 6-3, 2-1, and her opponent's exit automatically culminated in a win for Jabeur. Bencic seemingly had fatigue from her run of four three-set matches this week, so she started slow and conceded three games nine minutes into the match. She then picked up pace steadily, although she slipped and hurt her ankle in an attempt to chase a wide serve while at deuce with Jabeur leading 5-3 in the first set, which then closed at 6-3.
Jabeur served out the first set before the 2021 Olympic gold medalist struggled to play on in the second. She seemed to be in pain while serving and had reached her tipping point when Jabeur broke in the third game. The Tunisian was seen comforting her opponent at the net, then hurriedly helped treat Bencic and brought her an ice bucket to ease the pain in her ankle. However, it wasn't enough to make Bencic resume the match, and Jabeur then won the third WTA title of her career. She won on grass last year in Birmingham and the WTA 1000 claycourt Madrid Open in May 2022.
Ons Jabeur to become world number three as she poses a challenge to the top seeds in Wimbledon
Ons Jabeur will climb to the third spot in the world rankings on Monday. She conceded only one set during the tournament, which is bad news for her rivals in Wimbledon, slated to take off on June 27. Jabeur will now fly to Eastbourne, where she will pair up with 23-time major champion Serena Williams for the women's doubles draw. Williams will return to the tour after a year since she played her last match. "I told her, 'Forget about it, forget today.' The most important thing for me is that she's OK," Jabeur remarked. She has moved to 3-5 in career finals, almost a year since she won the Birmingham Classic and became the first Arab woman to lift the WTA singles title. Ever since, her performance has only improved and now, she has cracked into the WTA top five.