Ons Jabeur on Sunday became the first Arab woman to win a WTA title when the Tunisian beat Daria Kasatkina of Russia 7-5, 6-4 in an engrossing hour-and-a-half tussle in Birmingham, England.
Jabeur, the second seed, gained a measure of revenge as she secured her first title at the expense of Kasatkina, one of two women to have beaten her in her previous finals appearances.
“I knew I had to go for it. I had to win this title to at least breathe and give an example,” Jabeur said. “There are not a lot of Tunisian or Arabic players playing, so I hope this could inspire them, and I want to see more Arabic [players] and Tunisians playing with me on tour.”
Photo: Reuters
Jabeur, ranked 24th in the world, has been in fine form this season, ranking alongside former world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in terms of matches won (28).
The 26-year-old held her nerve, despite Kasatkina breaking back when Jabeur served for the first set at 5-4.
Jabeur broke world No. 35 Kasatkina immediately and this time, she made no mistake in serving to win the set, but Kasatkina raced into a 4-0 lead in the second set.
Kasatkina, winner of two titles this season, fought her way back to 4-3 down, but the Tunisian remained focused, sealing the title on her first match point when the Russian netted.
Jabeur revealed the pain of her defeat to Kasatkina in a final in Moscow in 2018, when she pleaded with her to be more generous the next time they met.
“Last time we played was in Moscow. She [Kasatkina] won and I was crying. It was a great battle,” Jabeur said. “I told her: ‘Can you please share some titles with me? At least, let me win my first WTA?’”
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