By Karolos Grohmann
PARIS (Reuters) – World number seven Ons Jabeur played the odds in her French Open match against daredevil Oceane Dodin on Thursday to win 6-2 6-3 and march into the third round.
Jabeur has endured a stop-start season in which she had minor knee surgery before winning the title in Charleston and skipping the Madrid Open with a calf problem.
While it may not have been the preparation she would have liked for Paris, Jabeur has looked solid in her two matches so far, having reached the third round without dropping a set.
The Tunisian initially struggled to control Dodin’s power game as the 26-year-old French world number 122 attacked almost every ball, playing with considerable risk.
While she made many difficult points, Dodin missed several easier ones, including two volleys, to send Jabeur 4-2 up.
The Tunisian’s drop shot is arguably the best in the women’s game and the 28-year-old world number seven made full use of it on her next service game to move 5-2 ahead.
Dodin’s risky play did not pay off when another audacious crosscourt forehand flew wide to hand Jabeur the first set.
The pair then traded early breaks but Dodin’s errors gradually piled up as Jabeur clinched the contest on her third match point to end the French presence in the women’s draw.
It is the third time in five years that no French player has made the third round of the women’s competition.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris)
