All posts tagged: Finalist

Rublev Ends Former Finalist Thiem’s Australian Open

Published by Webster

Rublev defeated Thiem in opening round of Australian Open 2023© AFP The 2020 finalist Dominic Thiem’s Australian Open ended in the first round on Tuesday, with the former world number three crashing out to fifth seed Andrey Rublev in a setback on his return from injury. While Russia’s Rublev held a clear advantage in terms of current ranking, Thiem had a far greater Grand Slam pedigree as the US Open champion in 2020. He is also a two-time finalist at Roland Garros. But the Austrian, ranked 98, was outplayed in 36 Celsius (96.8 Fahrenheit) heat as he continued his return from a wrist injury which kept him off court for nine months across the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Rublev banked a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win on John Cain Arena — his first of the year after two defeats in warm-up events, with either Australia’s Max Purcell or Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori his next opponent. “First of all I’m happy that I was able to get through in straight sets. It was super hot today so happy I can …

Two-Time Finalist Ons Jabeur Primed For Grand Slam Breakthrough

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File photo of Ons Jabeur.© AFP World number two Ons Jabeur said on Saturday her pair of 2022 Grand Slam finals have only increased her desire to finally lift a major trophy. The Tunisian top seed at the Adelaide International lost in three sets to Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon last July, then reached the US Open title match two months later, going down to Iga Swiatek. She said she was keen to take her game to the highest podium, starting at the Australian Open in January. “I was ready to win this year (2022), but it didn’t happen,” she said. “I’m doing everything possible to win a Grand Slam. I’m just going to go for it. “This year, 2023, is about just being free and playing my game. I’m glad I got the experience from two finals in a Grand Slam.” Jabeur, the first Arab woman in the WTA top 10, said she and her team laboured during the off-season to fine-tune her powerful game. “We’ve worked really hard to improve a lot of things, …