"I saw Venus Williams did it yesterday, she's an inspiration" - Ons Jabeur credits American for comeback win in Cincinnati Open 2R

Ons Jabeur has credited Venus Williams as the inspiration behind her remarkable comeback win over Anhelina Kalinina at the 2023 Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Making a return to the court after her loss to Marketa Vondrousova in the 2023 Wimbledon Championships final, Jabeur made a winning start to her campaign at the WTA 1000 event.

The Tunisian dominated the opening set, denying Kalinina any break-point opportunities and claiming an early lead. Despite serving for the match at 5-4 in the second, the 28-year-old was unable to close out the win as the Ukrainian fought back to level the scores and force a decider.

Kalinina carried her momentum forward into the third set as she quickly rushed away to a 5-1 lead. However, the Tunisian displayed remarkable resilience to stage a stunning comeback, winning five games in a row to claim a 6-3, 6-7(2), 7-6(2) victory in two hours and 42 minutes.

Following her win, Ons Jabeur opened up about her mindset when trailing 1-5 in the decider. She acknowledged the frustration she felt at the time and attributed her perseverance to the supportive crowd, which motivated her to keep going.

The Tunisian also expressed her gratitude towards Venus Williams, having drawn inspiration from the American's win over Veronika Kudermetova in the first round.

"I mean, a lot of things, a lot of frustration. I thought about a lot of things. First, the crowd really helped me get into, not giving up. I heard some people telling me not to give up. And I saw Venus did it yesterday, coming back from 5-1. She’s an inspiration for me and for many players so I’ve got to thank her for the comeback today," Ons Jabeur said in her on-court interview.

The World No. 5 also expressed satisfaction with her persistence during the hard-fought victory.

"Very happy with the win. It was very tough, but I’m glad that I kept fighting, kept playing point by point, and I’m glad that I got the win in the end," she said.

Cincinnati Open 2023: Ons Jabeur awaits winner of Victoria Azarenka and Donna Vekic; Venus Williams faces Qinwen Zheng

Ons Jabeur and Venus Williams

Following her win over Anhelina Kalinina, Ons Jabeur will lock horns with the winner of the match between Victoria Azarenka and Donna Vekic in the third round of the Western & Southern Open.

Azarenka advanced to the second round after defeating the No. 11 seed Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 7-5. Meanwhile, Vekic secured a 7-6(5), 7-5 victory over Jennifer Brady to book her spot against the Belarusian.

On the other hand, Venus Williams will continue her campaign in Cincinnati against Qinwen Zheng. Zheng reached the second round after defeating Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-4.