Tunisia's Jabeur still on mission to capture first Grand Slam

Ons Jabeur promised "not to give up" after three failed attempts to win a Grand Slam final and Tunisia's 'Minister of Happiness' hopes she can finally live up to all the expectation and get over that last hurdle at the U.S. Open.

The 28-year-old stood on the cusp of becoming the first Arab and African woman to win a major title before losing in the last two Wimbledon finals and she also suffered the same fate at the U.S. Open 11 months ago.

Following her defeat by Czech Marketa Vondrousova at the All England Club last month, tears flowed down Jabeur's face as she trudged up to receive the Wimbledon runner's-up plate.

It was a defeat she described as the "most painful" of her career.

Jabeur will face stiff competition in New York as defending champion Iga Swiatek aims to restore her dominance after losing in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina will also be dangerous, while Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff will carry American hopes of winning the title for the first time since Sloane Stephens' success in 2017.

However, in order to finally hoist a Grand Slam trophy, Jabeur has to find a solution for her own struggles.

She has made headlines for collapsing under pressure despite her calm, skill-based style of play.

After winning the opening set against Rybakina in last year's Wimbledon final, Jabeur collapsed to lose 3-6 6-2 6-2.

Then the Tunisian failed to cope with Swiatek's power and fell to a 6-2 7-6(5) defeat to the Pole in the U.S. Open final.

At Wimbledon last month, the weight of expectation simply crushed her. Facing an opponent ranked a lowly 42nd in the world, Jabeur appeared to be crippled by nerves as she failed to hold onto a 4-2 lead in the