Ons Jabeur is back with a win in her Brisbane International debut following a lean six months without a victory and a season-ending shoulder injury.
This time last year, the Tunisian arrived in Australia as the world No.6, but after a challenging season in which she did not play the final four months, she notched a 7-6(5) 6-4 victory over China’s Zheng Saisai at Pat Rafter Arena on Monday night.
It marked the 30-year-old’s first win since she reached the third round at Wimbledon in July and her first match since a defeat to Naomi Osaka in Toronto in August.
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“I was practising really hard for the past two months and I didn’t know what to expect from my first match after taking a break for a few months, so I’m happy for the win, happy to be back,” the world No.42 said.
“I obviously am very demanding with myself. I wish I could play better and better, but hopefully with the matches it will come.”
The 695th-ranked Zheng used a protected ranking and drew confidence from a win in Zhuhai in the pair’s sole prior encounter in 2017.
After she failed to serve out the opening set at 6-5, however, it was relatively one-way traffic for a relieved Jabeur, who set a second-round meeting with 14th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
“I made a few shots and that gave me the confidence a little bit … She’s very tricky, she has a lot of good slices, type of my game sort of, so I got to taste a little bit of what the other players feel like,” she said.
“I missed winning. That’s the most important thing. Obviously, the time I spent with my family was really necessary and I did some good work for humanity so very happy with that and that gives me the happy feeling to be back on the court.”
Thompson reels in former world No.6 Berrettini
As far as unseeded match-hardened floaters in the Brisbane International draw go, Jordan Thompson knows they don’t come much tougher than Matteo Berrettini, one of the heroes of Italy’s recent Davis Cup triumph.
With the home crowd in his corner, the eighth-seeded Australian though was up to task after he overcame a slow start against the former world No.6 to open his campaign with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory.
Later, defending men’s champion Grigor Dimitrov also booked his place in the second round following a 7-6(5) 6-3 victory over German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.
“I just tried to give him a different look on serve. Obviously, he was serving unbelievably at the start and wasn’t missing many first serves,” Thompson said. “I thought I’d try and throw him off his rhythm. I think I might have just jagged a lucky break and maybe just got it started.
Huge! @jordanthommmo2 rallies from a set down to defeat Matteo Berrettini!
Onto the next one, Thommo!#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/c9g9qoIc7y
— Brisbane International (@BrisbaneTennis) December 30, 2024
“It’s difficult. Sometimes it’s really hard to find his backhand. He’s a big frame and he’s got a huge serve and huge forehand. Trying to pin him in that backhand corner’s not as easy as it sounds.
“I think I can credit my movement, just trying to counterpunch, you know, a faster strike and I feel like I can get on top of the rally.”
Berrettini was looking to continue his resurgence following a foot injury that cut short his 2023 season.
He was eager to break Australian hearts again having eked out a win over Thanasi Kokkinakis in the Davis Cup semifinals in Malaga last month on his way to guiding his nation to a successful Davis Cup title defence.
The 28-year-old prevailed in his only prior encounter with Thompson in the opening round of the 2019 US Open but both had transformed since, the Sydneysider in a breakout 2024 season in which he snared a first career title at Los Cabos and cracked the top 30.
> READ MORE: Dimitrov’s enduring passion drives title defence
Thompson held fond memories of a run to the semifinals in Brisbane last January when he saved a match point against Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals in what became the Spaniard’s final match on Australian soil.
“He’s one of my childhood heroes and taking him down on this court in a quarterfinal on a Friday night really kickstarted my year,” he said before he jokingly tipped his hat to a final exclamation mark that rounded out his season. “Then I went and trained with the Wests Tigers and that just boosted it even more.”
Another big server, 20-year-old Alex Michelsen, awaits. The American earlier saved a match point and converted on his fifth to sneak past Thompson’s compatriot Christopher O’Connell 6-4 4-6 7-6(12).
In an earlier all-Australian encounter at Pat Rafter Arena, Kimberly Birrell set up a second-round showdown against second seed Emma Navarro following a three-set win over good friend and former practice partner Priscilla Hon.
Having trailed a set and 3-1 in the second set, 26-year-old Birrell won 3-6 7-5 6-2.
Dimitrov launches title defence on winning note
Reigning men’s champion Dimitrov emerged triumphant in a testing opening match of his campaign when he saw off Hanfmann in a one-hour, 49-minute tussle on Monday afternoon.
The Bulgarian No.2 seed recovered from an early break in the first set against the world No.96 to set a second-round meeting with Australian wildcard Aleksandar Vukic.
“I never looked at his ranking. He’s such a quality player and he fights all the time,” Dimitrov said of Hanfmann. “We played earlier on this year. That was a different match, clearly.”
Dimitrov won that previous encounter for the loss of just one game on his way to the Miami Masters final.
Victory on Tuesday was his 24th in Brisbane, more than any other man.
“I came here 15 years ago and yeah, I think since Day 1 I had that [love] affair [with Brisbane] so I want to keep on going, keep on building, keep on testing myself, keep on delivering as long as I can,” he said.
“I just want to enjoy when I step out here. I seems like I’m doing that every single time. I think that’s a good thing. Hopefully I can continue and go all the way again.”
Third seed Holger Rune, a runner-up to Dimitrov in the final last January, was the biggest seeded casualty to date.
Czech Jiri Lehecka continued his mid-year comeback from a back stress fracture to deny the Dane 7-5 6-3. The world No.28 will face Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round.