Wimbledon | Bianca Andreescu loses to Ons Jabeur

For a moment on Saturday, it felt like somewhere in 2019, when Bianca Andreescu was slaying the best players in the world. However, we are well and truly in 2023 and a long delay caused by the rain will have been enough to thwart the ambitions of the Canadian against Ons Jabeur, in the third round of the Wimbledon tournament.

“I have to thank the rain, which allowed me to speak with my coach and get a better perspective of the match. I wasn’t playing my best tennis,” admitted Jabeur after winning in three sets of 3-6, 6-3 and 6-4.

Of course, Andreescu’s defeat cannot be explained solely by the 47-minute stoppage, pronounced in the middle of the last round. At that time, the Tunisian had just broken through her rival to close their gap to 3-2.

However, Andreescu had the wind in his sails before the break. By the time the officials closed the roof of the center court and dried out the pitch, Jabeur was able to pull himself together, while this match was slipping through his fingers.

The two players had shared the first two sets and the third was fiercely contested. Andreescu landed the first blows and Jabeur was just defending. The result will have proven that the defense is still, very often, the best attack.

A hot start

Before the start of the match, everyone had the right to expect a match of extreme quality. Jabeur, a finalist a year ago, continues to excel on grass. Of course, the sixth player in the world was the favorite in this duel.

However, she had to be wary of the Canadian. Andreescu had been exquisite in her first two games. Although she lacked consistency before joining the All England Club, the 50^e player in the world ranking had been amazing since the start of the fortnight. Not least because she easily found solutions when she was in trouble. She has rediscovered the aggressiveness, tenacity and grace that made her a major tournament champion.

We therefore expected good things from the Ontarian. But never before did she take the first round so easily in barely 30 minutes. Everything was working. His game at the top of the field completely bluffed Jabeur, unable to keep up.

Andreescu was imperial at the net. On grass, volleys and drop shots are lethal weapons, and the Canadian was a smuggling boss.

“It was frustrating, launched Jabeur on the fact of having to face a player who, like her, masters a very varied palette of shots. His cushioning and effect balls, it was tiring! Now I know how other players feel when they play against me. »

After the first set, Andreescu had won seven shots and committed only three unforced errors, in addition to winning 16 of his 19 points in first serves.

render service

Where Andreescu failed was when it came to taking advantage of his opponent’s largesse on serve. During the match, Jabeur passed only 51% of his first serves. A rare degree of mediocrity in a player of her caliber.

The 28-year-old was in full control when her first serve landed. She even concluded the match with a precise ace on the “T”. Andreescu, however, would have had an advantage in picking up the points when this was not the case. She faced eight break points but converted just two. For his part, Jabeur transformed his three break points into games.

There are still positives to be drawn from Andreescu’s presence on the service. This had been her main flaw in the first two games, the reason why she had taken so long to get rid of her opponents. Jabeur was able to take advantage of a first break point only late in the second set.

A positive week

Andreescu can therefore leave London with his head held high. She reached the third round at Wimbledon for the first time in her career. She will also move up the standings by approximately seven places. In addition, she went to a break, at the very end of the game, to eliminate a player from the top 10in his first career match on center court at Wimbledon.

This season, against the elite, the 23-year-old player had a lot of difficulty, with a record of three defeats in four games against players from the top 10.

In Saturday’s match, Jabeur took the lead just once in the final set, when she broke Andreescu at 4-4. During this streak, the Canadian was only a shadow of herself. All his efforts were ruined in the space of a few awkward exchanges.

The beautiful Bianca Andreescu is back. Even if she has to pack her bags before the official start of the second week of the tournament, she can leave with a sense of accomplishment.