Jabeur survives scare but Muguruza exits in Australian Open first round

You can’t win a grand-slam title in the first week but you can definitely lose it and for a while out on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday, it seemed like Ons Jabeur was about to find that out for herself. But when the Tunisian needed inspiration, she reminded herself of one thing: “I told myself to be the No 2 in the world and just win this match,” she said, with a smile.

The No 2 seed’s 7-6 (8), 4-6, 6-1 win over Tamara Zidansek was as tight as the scoreline sounds. She saved three set points in the opening-set tie-break and after dropping the second, it was only once she had got the break for 2-1 in the decider that the world No 2 found her usual rhythm, pulling away for victory over a tenacious opponent.

The runner-up at both Wimbledon and the US Open last year, Jabeur sported some worrying-looking strapping around her right knee and though it did not seem to effect her movement, the tenacity of Zidansek certainly did. The Slovenian may be ranked 98 in the world but she was good enough to reach the semi-finals at the French Open two years ago and had beaten Jabeur in their most recent battle, in 2019.

A lot has changed in the few years since, though. Jabeur has transformed herself from a player with abundant talent but prone to inconsistency into a regular contender for the biggest titles. Only Elena Rybakina, playing inspired tennis at Wimbledon, and the world No 1, Iga Swiatek, doing likewise at the US Open, prevented her from winning a first slam title last year. If she is to win this, she will need to improve but the good thing is she got the job done, which gives her time to find her form.

With the roof on as the intense heat of the day was replaced by heavy downpours, Jabeur dropped serve in the opening game. She