Zabir faces a rematch against Noskova

Match of the day: [5] Ans Jaber (TUN) vs. Linda Noskova (CZE)

For Ons Jabeur, this year’s North American summer has been a struggle so far.

She needed treatment on her leg in Cincinnati’s quarterfinal loss to Arina Sabalenka. Then she fell ill ahead of the US Open and needed a doctor’s visit and medication to complete a grueling first-round victory over Camila Osorio 7-5, 7-6(4).

US Open 2023: Draw | Order of Play | Marks | 411

Aside from his health issues, Jaber is still competing after losing to Marketa Vondrousova in the Wimbledon final. It „still hurts,” she admitted at Flushing Meadows, and those feelings were evident in her scrappy tennis, a far cry from the independent genius that saw her beat Sabalenka and Elina Rybakina to reach the final.

Unsurprisingly, when Osorio inquired at the net if Jabir was OK, the Tunisian’s response was, „Not really.”

A second round date with Linda Noskova is unlikely to help. The 18-year-old world No.41 is the second highest-ranked teenager in the world behind Coco Goff. She is coming off a strong hard-court swing that saw her reach her first Hologic WTA Tour final on home soil in Prague, then beat compatriot Petra Kvitova in Cincinnati for her third top 10 win of the season.

The second of those came in January when Noskova upset the top seed in the Adelaide semi-finals 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 over Jabur. Noskova’s run in that tournament, her fifth tour-level main draw, also featured upsets of Daria Kasatkina and Victoria Azarenka.

The Czech youngster’s season has been more about consolidation than consistency, but there is no doubting the easy firepower and clean technique he possesses. Noskova’s 6-1, 6-2 win over Madison Brengle in the first round was her second Grand Slam main-draw win, but a big-stage run soon feels inevitable. If that chance is to be stopped this week, both his health and his physicality will be significantly improved for Jabir.

Three more to watch

Martina Trevisan (ITA) vs. [9] Marketa Vondrousova (CZE)

A first-time meeting between two left-handers who impressed in different ways in the openers. Vondrousova, the Wimbledon champion, was calm and composed about how she was initially caught. He has shown no sign of slumping following his first major crown, and his portion of the draw is welcome.

Former Roland Garros semi-finalist Trevisan had a tough outing. In the longest match of the first round, she beat Italian Yulia Putintseva 0-6, 7-6(0), 7-6.[8] In 3 hours and 19 minutes. Her improvement on hard courts this year was evident in her run to the Miami quarterfinals in March, and Vondrousova will need to keep her intensity high to prevent Trevisan from unleashing too much on her forehand.

[26] Elina Svitolina (UKR) vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

At this year’s Roland Garros, Svitolina and Pavlyuchenkova were ranked No.192 and No.333 respectively, and entered the clay court with the rankings protected following their return from maternity leave and injury. They both produced thrilling quarter-final runs and left Paris as official tour-level players.

Svitolina kept going throughout the summer, reaching the Wimbledon semifinals and the Washington quarterfinals, and was already ranked No. 26 just five months after her return. Former Roland Garros finalist Pavlyuchenkova also returned to the top 100, now sitting at 99th. The pair have faced each other since 2013, but this will be their first meeting since Rome 2020, where Svitolina won 6-3, 7-6(4) in the second round. Pavliuchenkova leads 3-2 overall head-to-head, including 2-1 on outdoor hard courts.

[13] Daria Kasatkina vs. Sophia Kenin (USA)

Former Australian Open champion Kenin was another player whose comeback finally took him inside the top 100 this summer. But after upsetting Coco Goff en route to Wimbledon’s third round, Kenin suffered another setback with a hamstring injury from the North American hard-court warm-ups. The American, now ranked 101st, won her first round this week with a 7-6(2), 6-4 win over Ana Bogdan.

Kenin holds a 2-1 head-to-head lead over Kasatkina, who had to come from a set down to subdue big-serving Alicia Parks 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in her opening match. However, Kasatkina won the latest clash 6-4, 6-0 in the first round of Sydney 2022.

Also in progress

Montreal is the champion and the No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula Facing the former world no.56 Patricia Maria Dick For the first time. Dick, 29, is making a comeback this year after 18 months on the sidelines with a back injury, during which she split from coach and husband Razwan Sabah. Now ranked 700, she beat Rebecca Marino 7-6(6), 7-6(1) in the first round, her first win at the tour level since Pate Homburg 2021.

No. 2 seed Arina Sabalenka He will be aiming to keep his hopes of climbing to world No.1 alive as he takes on the 96th-ranked Briton. Jodi Burrage For the first time.

The two former US Open finalists will square off at No. 17 Madison Keys Facing a lucky failure Yanina Wickmayerand No.25 seed Karolina Pliskova Ex-Junior meets No.1 Clara laughed.

No. 23 seed Zheng Qinwen, won her first WTA title in Palermo last month, beating Nadia Podoroska 6-1, 6-0 in her first round. Next up is a two-time US Open quarterfinalist Gaia KanebiThe 38-year-old Estonian made his first qualifying appearance at Flushing Meadows in 2002 — two months before Zheng was born.