Ons Jabeur wins Madrid Open, beats Jessica Pegula: Key stats
What's the story
Number eight seed, Ons Jabeur, downed America's Jessica Pegula to clinch the 2022 Madrid Open title.
She beat the number 12 seed 7-5, 0-6, 6-2 in a match that lasted one hour and 54 minutes.
Notably, she is the first Arab to win a WTA 1000 title.
It is her second career title, having won the Birmingham Classic (WTA 250) in 2021.
Here's more.
Information
A look at the numbers from the match
Jabeur smashed five aces and won 56% of her points on the first serve. She converted five of her 12 break points. She won 44 receiving points. She hit 29 winners to Pegula's 14. Overall, Jabeur collected a total of 91 points to Pegula's 87.
H2H
A look at the head-to-head record
Jabeur now enjoys a 3-2 win record over Pegula.
Notably, this was their first meet on clay with their last four matches being played on hard courts.
Pegula had won the first two match-ups (Quebec City 2018 and Montreal 2018).
Meanwhile, Jabeur has pocketed wins in the last three duels (Chicago 2021, Dubai 2022, and now Madrid 2022).
Words
I didn't wait long for the title, says Jabeur
Jabuer had earlier lost against Belinda Bencic at the Charleston Open final last month.
"I'm so happy that I didn't wait long [for the title]. Because I was really disappointed after Charleston and Stuttgart. I was really close and I know I was playing really good there," said Jabeur after winning the Madrid Open.
She added that her hard work has finally paid off.
Journey
Jabeur's run in the 2022 Madrid Open
In the first round, Jabeur breezed past Italy's Jasmine Paolini 7-6(9), 6-1.
She overcame Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 0-6, 6-4 in the second round.
She then bested number 11 seed, Belinda Bencic, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.
In quarters, Jabeur battered Simona Halep 6-3, 6-2.
She then clinched a straight-set win (6-2, 6-3) over Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semis.
Lastly, she beat Jessica Pegula 7-5, 0-6, 6-2.
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Jabeur's win-loss record in singles final
As per WTA, Jabeur has a 2-4 win-loss record in the singles final. The world number 10 had fallen short to Belinda Bencic (6-1, 5-7, 6-4) in the Charleston Open final in April. She also has the most clay court wins in 2022 (12).
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Jabeur rises in WTA Rankings
As per WTA, Jabeur would be returning to her career-high ranking of number seven on Monday. Meanwhile, Pegula is likely to rise to her career-high number 11 position. The 28-year-old could have breached the Top 10 had she won the Madrid Open title.
Pegula
Key accomplishments for Pegula
As per Opta, Pegula is the third American female player to reach the final at the Madrid Open, after Venus Williams (2010) and Serena Williams (2012 and 2013).
She has also won a total of 28 WTA 1000-level matches spanning over 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Notably, only World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has won more matches at that level during this phase, with 29.
Twitter Post
Jabeur wins Madrid Open
🏆 ¡Vam-ONS! 🏆
— wta (@WTA) May 7, 2022
🇹🇳 @Ons_Jabeur defeats Pegula 7-5, 0-6, 6-2 in Madrid to become the first Arab winner of a WTA 1000 title!#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/8VjRslsekQ