Belinda Bencic calls Ons Jabeur ‘a pain to play against’ after losing at the Charleston Open finals
The rivalry between Belinda Bencic and Ons Jabeur is poised at an interesting juncture.
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(Image via Tennis World)
Belinda Bencic in her tongue-in-cheek humor recently called Ons Jabeur ‘a pain to play against’. Bencic said that to Jabeur at the trophy ceremony while congratulating her on winning the Charleston Open 2023 final. But what WTA rank 11 Bencic actually meant was that Jabeur was ‘a good pain’. She told the Tunisian world rank no. 3, that she was great for tennis as a whole. “I am so glad you are back and tennis is amazing with you.”
This was a re-match set between Bencic and Jabeur. The two players met each other in the finals of Charleston Open 2022, but Belinda Bencic won the final last year. That final was also a thrill ride in which Bencic won in three sets (6-1,7-5,6-4) despite Jabeur playing some very exciting tennis.
Hinting at how Ons Jabeur elevates the overall level of Tennis, Bencic told her, “You are a pain to play against but for Tennis you are great.” Ons Jabeur won the Charleston Open final against Bencic in straight sets (7-6, 6-4).
The first set tiebreak was a roller coaster with Bencic leading with a set point at 6-4. But the African turned the tide for her by playing some extraordinary tennis and taking the set with a tiebreak score of 6-8. Talking about the tiebreak the defending champion Bencic said to Ons, “The way you played in the end of tie break, may be it was meant to be for you this year.”
“You deserved it,” Bencic told Ons.
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Belinda Bencic and Ons Jabeur have a camaraderie to remember
The rivalry between Belinda Bencic and Ons Jabeur is poised at an interesting juncture. With the Charleston win, Ons has just tipped the scales in her favor at 3-2 in their career Head to Head matches. Both the players always talk very highly of each other and are also very vocal about how tough it is to win against each other.
Recently, both the players had a fun and ‘romantic’ photoshoot at Charleston ahead of the finals. Ons is known for her quirky humor, but the Swiss is quite funny herself. She said that, “She almost threw Jabeur into the water (river)“
This was Ons Jabeur’s third title win and now she is looking forward to winning her first grand slam. Whereas Belinda Bencic has won 8 titles, but a Grand Slam victory still evades her. Both players have immense potential to win their first Grand Slam soon. The world is waiting.
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Nikhil Sonmali
(1112 Articles Published)