“I Really Apologize to Karolina Pliskova” – Ons Jabeur

Ons Jabeur is going strong at the Qatar Open this week after securing her place in the quarter-finals of the event. She downed World No. 3 Karolina Pliskova in the Round of 16 in a very raucous crowd in attendance.

Karolina Pliskova’s struggles continue

Pliskova is struggling to maintain her level in 2020. After a disappointing third-round exit from the Australian Open, Karolina lost in the second round of Dubai Open to 20-year old Elena Rybakina. And now she is out of Qatar Open as well.

On the other hand, Jabeur is playing some great tennis this season, with a run to the quarter-final of the first Major. Now, she is in the quarter-finals of Qatar Open after beating a top player in Karolina Pliskova.

The Tunisian played a gritty match to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. The pair played some really good tennis throughout the match. She will now face Petra Kvitova in the quarter-final.

One stand-out aspect of the match was the crowd, spectating the clash. They were absolutely boisterous; almost like a spectacle, you see in a final. If you are wondering who the crowd favorite was, there is no doubt about that.

Every point Jabeur won, made the stadium simply erupt in jubilation. Jabeur, being Tunisian, had that home crowd feel in the stadium. At times, it also made for a distraction to the players between points and also between serves.

“Hope she won’t be angry” – Ons Jabeur

She was a little apologetic about the disturbance caused by the crowd at times.

“Well, it’s a crazy crowd, they think it’s a football match (laughing). I really apologize to Karolina for the misbehaving in between serves, because I hope they know they’re not just bothering her but also me and it’s not fair play. I hope she won’t be angry about it.”

As it turns out, Ons was struggling a little towards the end of the match. However, she opted not to call for medical help.

“I didn’t want to call the physio, so people would not think that I’m doing it on purpose, and I didn’t want to break the rhythm I was trying to maintain. It was really difficult at the end to jump, she kind of helped me with making mistakes.”