Ons Jabeur fights back her own misery to congratulate Aryna Sabalenka for becoming the new World No.1 in women’s tennis

Ons Jabeur gets eliminated out of the 2023 US Open title run.

Ons Jabeur fights back her own misery to congratulate Aryna Sabalenka for becoming the new World No.1 in women’s tennis

(L) Aryna Sabalenka, (R) Ons Jabeur (Images via: USOpen.org/San Francisco Chronicle)

In an admirable act of strength, Top Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur congratulated Aryna Sabalenka for her new ranking of World No. 1. This came after the 29-year-old lost to 23rd seed Qinwen Zheng in the Round of 16.

In a fourth-round match between the top seed, Iga Swiatek and Jelena Ostapenko, the Pole lost the match over three sets. Seeded No. 20, the Latvian beat Swiatek, ending the Pole’s defense run for the US Open title. Swiatek making an early exit from the Flushing meadows also meant that Aryna Sabalenka would be crowned as the new World No. 1.

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Ons Jabeur, on the other hand, lost to China’s Qinwen Zheng in her fourth-round match as well. However, the World No. 5 took out time to congratulate Sabalenka post her defeat. This act was deemed plausible by many since the Tunisian had to come to terms with her loss before congratulating the Belarusian.

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“I’m so happy for Aryna. She deserves to be No.1. She deserved that for a long time ago,” the 29-year-old said. The Tunisian further stated that the match between Ostapenko and Swiatek was very interesting. “Not so many people surprised because Jelena can play amazing games,” she said. Jabeur further stated that to “find different heroes” is the beauty of WTA. Sabalenka now will become the 29th player ever to be ranked at No. 1 on the WTA Rankings list.

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Aryna Sabalenka rises to World No. 1

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via: Wimbledon)

Iga Swiatek’s early exit from this year’s US Open came as a shock to many. Jelena Ostapenko beat the Pole out of the tournament, scoring an impressive 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over her. World No. 2, Aryna Sabalenka will now rise to the top of the rankings for the first time ever. Now regardless of how the Belarussian performs in the ongoing US Open, she will be crowned No. 1.

“Getting to number one on the WTA list is something I’ve dreamed about since I was little, since I started playing tennis,”  Sabalenka stated.“It’s an incredible feeling to join the great list of tennis players who have made it, and it’s a great honor for me that they can be called world number one in singles competition,” the 25-year-old had said earlier.

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