Tunisian Ons Jabeur (36th in the world) is preparing to play a capital match this Saturday in the third round of the prestigious Masters 1000 in Rome. She will face the Italian Jasmine Paolini, current 5th world player, in a high intensity duel.
Exempted from the first round, Jabeur benefited from a package during the second: that of the Czech Petra Kvitova (830th in the world), still in the recovery phase. This blow of fate allowed him to directly access the third round, but he leaves an uncertainty over his rhythm of competition in the face of an opponent in great shape and carried by his audience.
This match is of particular importance for Ons Jabeur, who seeks to find the level which had enabled him to reach the final of this same tournament in 2022, a still significant memory of his career. That year, she bowed to the world number 1 Iga Swiatek, after an impressive course on Roman clay.
In search of Constance after a season tainted by uneven injuries and performances, the Tunisian sees in this Masters 1000 a real opportunity to relaunch on the circuit. A success against Paolini would not only be a step towards the quarter-finals: it would also mark a strong signal a few weeks from Roland-Garros, its other big objective of spring.
Faced with a formidable opponent, supported by the Italian public and currently at the top of his career, Ons Jabeur will have to draw from his experience, his creativity and his combativeness.
