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Ons Jabeur has debuted her new kit for the 2024 season, designed by Saudi brand Kayanne, at the Australian Open.
Jabeur is the first tennis player to be sponsored by Kayanee, Saudi Arabia's PIF-owned fitness and wellness brand. The partnership came about after she ended her decade-plus association with Lotto Sport Italia.
Kayanne, chaired by Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, has custom designed the kit for Jabeur.
The Tunisian wore the exclusive kit during her first-round match against Ukrainian qualifier Yulia Starodubtseva on Monday, January 15. Jabeur had a nervy start to the match, getting broken in the first game itself. However, she recovered well and ousted Starodubtseva 6-3, 6-1.
Tennis fans online, however, were not pleased with Kayanne's kit. One fan slammed the pink and grey outfit as possibly the worst kit of all time.
"Ugliest kit ever?" one fan wrote.
Another fan thought it was time for Jabuer to ditch Kayanne and go back to Lotto.
"Can’t believe i’m about to say this but maybe lotto wasn’t that bad," commented another fan.
One fan joked that wearing such an outfit was a crime.
"Call the police. This is a crime," a fan wrote.
Here are some more fan reactions to Ons Jabeur's Australian Open kit:
Ons Jabeur to face Mirra Andreeva in 2R at Australian Open 2024
Ons Jabeur will continue her journey at the 2024 Australian Open with a clash against Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva in the second round on Wednesday, January 17. This will be the first meeting between the two on the WTA Tour.
Mirra Andreeva broke onto the scene with her fourth-round finish at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. She has notched up impressive wins over much higher-ranked opponents already, with a 22-8 record in her 30 matches.
The 16-year-old bettered American Bernarda Pera in her first-ever Australian Open match on Monday, winning 7-5, 6-2.
Ons Jabeur had a disappointing campaign in Melbourne last year, losing to Marketa Vondrousova in the second round. She would be hoping to better that performance this year as the sixth seed despite the threat that Andreeva poses.
In her press conference after beating Starodubtseva, Jabeur hailed Andreeva as a formidable opponent who would be very tough to beat. The former World No. 2 added that the Russian might see her as an idol but would not shy away from giving her best on the court.
"It's going to be a very difficult match. I know she is 16 years old, but she's very tough. I might be her idol, but she wants to go there and kick my ass, for sure," Jabeur said.
