(SATSports) – Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur pledged to come back stronger following her shock defeat to Australia’s Astra Sharma in the final of the MUSC Health Women’s Open in Charleston, South Carolina.
Jabeur, who had made her first final of 2021, blew a one-set lead and eventually lost in three sets to Sharma, who was then ranked 165th, 138 spots below her.
Jabeur had been seeded first at the tournament and, like Sharma, had been aiming to secure a maiden WTA title.
“I will keep working hard and achieve my goals. Special thanks to my fans and my team,” Jabeur wrote on Twitter.
However, her run to the final saw her move up two spots to a career-high ranking of 25 as she steps up her clay court preparations for the upcoming French Open.
The 26-year-old has an 18-8 win/loss record in 2021 and her number of wins was only second to that of Spain’s Garbine Muguruza (21).
