No. 2 Ons Jabeur loses to Vondrousova at Australian Open

January 19, 2023 GMT
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Marketa Vondrousova, right, of the Czech Republic is congratulated by Ons Jabeur of Tunisiain following their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
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Marketa Vondrousova, right, of the Czech Republic is congratulated by Ons Jabeur of Tunisiain following their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Second-seeded Ons Jabeur became the latest top player to exit the Australian Open in the second round, beaten by 86th-ranked Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 5-7, 6-1.

Jabeur had complained of a knee problem after her opening victory at Melbourne Park and seemed out of sorts for much of the loss against Vondrousova, which ended a little past 1 a.m. on Friday.

Jabeur, who is from Tunisia, was the runner-up at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2022 and came to Australia considered a contender for what would be her first Grand Slam title.

She reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne in 2020 but missed the tournament a year ago with an injured back.

The left-handed Vondrousova reached the final of the French Open as a teenager in 2019 but has never made it past the fourth round in 17 other appearances at Grand Slam tournaments.

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