Ons Jabeur, the world number seven and top seed at the Ningbo Open, defeated Diane Parry, the world number 98, in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the WTA 250 event on Tuesday. Jabeur, who had a runner-up finish at Wimbledon and a title run at Charleston this season, bounced back from her early exit at Guadalajara last week with a commanding performance against the young French player.
Jabeur broke Parry’s serve four times and saved six of the seven break points she faced. She also hit 23 winners and 14 unforced errors, while Parry had 12 winners and 21 unforced errors. Jabeur dominated the rallies with her variety and pace, keeping Parry on the defensive throughout the match.
Jabeur will face either Martina Trevisan or Xiyu Wang in the second round.
Parry’s losing streak continues
Diane Parry, who won her first WTA title at the ITF Paris 125 event in July, has been struggling to find her form since then. She has lost six consecutive matches, including three at the US Open, Japan Women’s Open, and Guangzhou Open. She also failed to qualify for the main draw of the Australian Open and Roland Garros this year.
Parry, who is one of the rising stars of French tennis, showed some resistance in the first set against Jabeur, breaking back to level at 3-3 after losing her serve in the fourth game. However, she could not sustain her level and dropped her serve again in the eighth game. Jabeur then served out the set with ease.
The second set was more one-sided, as Jabeur raced to a 5-0 lead with two breaks of serve. Parry managed to avoid a bagel by holding her serve in the sixth game and breaking Jabeur in the seventh game. However, Jabeur regrouped and broke Parry again in the eighth game to seal the victory.
Jabeur aims for second title of the year
Ons Jabeur, who became the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon this year, is aiming for her second title of the year and third of her career at Ningbo. She is also hoping to improve her ranking and secure a spot in the WTA Finals, which will be held in Guadalajara in November.
Jabeur is currently ranked seventh in the WTA Race to Guadalajara, which determines the eight players who will qualify for the season-ending event. She has 3,635 points, just 15 points ahead of eighth-placed Iga Swiatek and 85 points ahead of ninth-placed Garbine Muguruza.
Jabeur will have to defend her points from last year’s semifinal run at Stuttgart and quarterfinal run at Rome in the next few weeks. She will also have to compete with other contenders such as Swiatek, Muguruza, Karolina Pliskova, Maria Sakkari, and Elina Svitolina for a place in Guadalajara.
