Emma Raducanu congratulated Ons Jabeur on winning a WTA 250 event in Ningbo. On Saturday, top-seeded Jabeur ousted promising Russian teenager Diana Shnaider 6-2 6-1 in the Ningbo final. For 29-year-old Jabeur, it was the best possible debut in Ningbo. “@Ons_Jabeur (heart emoji) congrats Ons,” Raducanu wrote on X. Jabeur responded to Raducanu: “Thank you Emma (two heart emojis).”
Thank you Emma ā¤ļøā¤ļø
ā Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) September 30, 2023
Jabeur wins Ningbo, receives a congratulatory message from Raducanu
Jabeur got off to a great start to the Ningbo final, claiming back-to-back breaks in the third and fifth games en route to easily winning the first set. In the second set, Shnaider served out the first game of the set before Jabeur won the next six games to complete a two-set win in a pretty impressive style. Jabeur, who is 0-3 in her Grand Slam finals, was thrilled with how she played in the Ningbo final and added this is something that could help her one day become a Slam champion. “These are little steps to winning a Grand Slam final. Playing a final here is more relaxed than playing a Grand Slam final, but I think it will help me gain confidence more, and to help me manage the pressure and stress. I think [Shnaider] is a terrific player and she really gave me a hard time. I know the score is 2 and 1, but it was more difficult than you see it. She has a lot of potential — her game is really solid so I really expect to see her bothering other players. It was funny and cute that she shared the story of the Moscow final a few years back, where she first saw me playing. When I met her at the French Open this year, she told me about it. I felt more solid [than in previous matches], I felt tactically I played very well, I had an advantage in that I had more experience than her to manage certain points,” Jabeur said.