World No. 2 Ons Jabeur was ousted from the Australian Open after Marketa Vondrousova pulled off a 6-1 5-7 6-1 upset in the second round. Jabeur had arrived to Melbourne with high expectations as she was a finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open last year.
The Tunisian star made 50 unforced errors and had her serve broken eight times through the 102-minute match. After her loss, Jabeur delivered a written statement to the media saying she was having trouble breathing during the match.
"I had a difficult time breathing. Not sure what's happening," read the statement. "Marketa played a good match and deserved to win. I will do my best to come back stronger."
Jabeur had already shown some struggles in this tournament with an upset scare in the first round against Tamara Zidansek while registering 49 unforced errors. She managed to pull off that win, but her mistakes were most costly on Thursday.
Vondrousova -- 2019 French Open runner-up -- was unseeded. However, that never meant she wasn't going to be a tough opponent. The 23-year-old Czech player has been dealing with injuries in recent years and was sidelined for a significant amount of time last season while she recovered from wrist surgery. She started reminding everyone of how dangerous she can be late last year with a win over world No. 11 Danielle Collins at the Billie Jean King Cup.
Look at what it means to her! 🙌
— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 19, 2023
🇨🇿 Marketa Vondrousova stuns No.2 seed Ons Jabeur, 6-1, 5-7, 6-1 to reach the third round in Melbourne!#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/qdNEZZYY9l
"It's amazing. After the surgery, coming back into the big tournaments. You never know how you're going to do. I felt good, but the draw was super, super tough," she told the media.
"Then also the late matches and everything, it was kind of crazy. So I'm just very happy to get the win."
Next up, Vondrousova will be taking on 17-year-old fellow Czech Linda Fruhvirtova -- the youngest player left in the draw.
Jabeur was not the only high-seeded player to fall in the second round. Casper Ruud, the No. 2 seed on the men's side, who reached the finals of the French Open and US Open in 2022, was bounced early at this year's Australian Open when he was beaten 6-3 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 by American Jenson Brooksby.
For everything you need to know about the 2023 Australian Open, including how to watch, schedule and match results, click here.
