Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur admitted she should have had more belief in her game and shots but also added that Iga Swiatek played unbelievable tennis in the Rome final.
Jabeur, who lifted her first WTA 1000 title in Madrid a week earlier, fell short in her attempt to win back-to-back WTA 1000 titles after easily losing to Swiatek in the Rome final.
World No. 1 Swiatek gave no chance to Jabeur as she demolished the ninth-seeded Tunisian 6-2 6-2.
“I should have believed, I should have went for more shots, I should have been looser in my hands,” Jabeur said after the match, per Tennis Majors.
Ons Jabeur on her loss to Swiatek today: “I should have believed, I should have went for more shots, I should have been looser in my hands.” #IBI22
— Tennis Majors (@Tennis_Majors) May 15, 2022
Jabeur: Swiatek played great when it mattered the most
With her win over Jabeur, Swiatek has now won her last 28 matches and Rome was her fifth consecutive title.
“I felt like I was trying my best to make her visit all the corners of the court, but she was already ready for that,” Jabeur said, per WTA insider.
“She played unbelievable in the important points. That’s what makes Iga Iga, you know.”
Jabeur: “I felt like I was trying my best to make her visit all the corners of the court, but she was already ready for that.
“She played unbelievable in the important points. That’s what makes Iga Iga, you know.”#ibi22 https://t.co/2zWi6whZvG
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) May 15, 2022
Swiatek set the tone early on as she broke Jabeur early to take a 3-0 lead.
Jabeur saved a break point in the fourth game to cut the deficit to 1-3 but Swiatek kept pressuring her serve and the Pole earned her second break in the eighth game, when the Tunisian was serving to stay in the first set.
Swiatek wasted no time in the second set as she claimed back-to-back breaks at the start to open a 4-0 lead.
Just when it seemed the match was over, Jabeur got one break back in the fifth game.
In the seventh game, Jabeur had three consecutive break points but missed out as Swiatek held on to her service game and opened a 5-2 lead in the second set.
After saving three consecutive break points in the seventh game, Swiatek broke Jabeur in the eighth game to seal a straight-set win.