CANCUN, Mexico -- In a rematch of the Wimbledon final, No.7 Ons Jabeur defeated No.6 Marketa Vondrousova 6-4, 6-3 in round-robin play at the GNP Seguros WTA Finals Cancun.
Jabeur's straight-sets win moves her to 1-1 in the Chetumal Group and drops Wimbledon champion Vondrousova to 0-2. The result, combined with No.2 Iga Swiatek's straight-sets win over No.3 Coco Gauff, means the group remains in the balance going into the final day of group play.
WTA Finals: Scores | Draws | Order of play
With a 2-0 record, Swiatek is in pole position to win the group and qualify. Gauff and Jabeur sit second in the group at 1-1 and Vondrousova, at 0-2, is still in with a mathematical chance to advance.
Jabeur will face Swiatek on Friday. The two have not played a complete match since the 2022 US Open final, which Swiatek won 6-2, 7-6(5).
"Iga is a very smart person and she knows how to adapt to these conditions," Jabeur said. "I'm gonna try to enjoy this game. Try to play freely. Try to let go some of the anger that I have and hope for the best. It's definitely not going to be an easy match, but I will try my best."
Both Jabeur and Vondrousova went into Wednesday night's match looking to bounce back from tough opening losses in Cancun. Jabeur won just one game against Gauff, while Vondrousova squandered an opening set lead on Swiatek to lose in straight sets.
Playing for the first time since Vondrousova bested Jabeur in the Wimbledon final, Jabeur bounced back to snap a three-match losing streak to the Czech. She broke Vondrousova in the opening game and held off the crafty left-hander. It was an edgy set, with all but one service game featuring a break point. Jabeur handled the pressure better, saving six of seven break points to take the opening set after 57 minutes.
Jabeur's improved aggression proved the difference-maker against Vondrousova. In her opening match, she hit just 24 percent of her shots inside the baseline. Against Vondrousova she improved that number to 57 percent.
The second set remained tight until Jabeur broke it up at 3-3. She capitalized on a loose service game from Vondrousova to break at love to 4-3 and consolidated with a love hold. She sealed the win one game later, closing out the 89-minute match with her sixth break of the match.
