Jabeur advances to second-straight Charleston Open final

Sat, Apr 8, 2023
Other News (AP)

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Second-seeded Ons Jabeur advanced to the Charleston Open final for the second straight year, beating No. 3 seed Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 7-5 in a rain-delayed match Saturday.

Jabeur, who lost this championship a year ago to Belinda Bencic, will either play No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula or the fourth-seeded Bencic for the title.

Jabeur fought off Kasatkina to win her 10th semifinal in her 12 visits to the final four. Jabeur of Tunisia also won her fifth straight over her Russian opponent and first since the two played in the Rome semifinals a season ago.

Jabeur had quipped Friday she'd try and get her supporters in Tunisia to send sunshine to the Credit One Tennis Center. Instead, it was an overcast, chilly with rain delays that had the match ending more than 5 1-2 hours after it began.

Jabeur trailed 5-3 in the opening set when the rain delayed the match. She returned after the delay of more than three hours to win the next four games to take the set.

Jabeur turned it up again at the end of the final set, surging from a 5-all tie to put away Kasatkina and reach her first final of the year.

Kasatkina said it was difficult with the uncertainty of the weather and waiting to resume. "I just wish all tennis was played indoors like most of the other sports," she said.

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