San Diego Open: Top seed Ons Jabeur crashes out after losing against Anastasia Potapova

Top seed Ons Jabeur crashed out of the San Diego Open after suffering a straight sets defeat at the hands of Anastasia Potapova. The world number 27 beat Jabeur 6-4 7-6(4).

Speaking after the match, Potapova called Jabeur a very tough opponent, adding that she’s really proud of her performance. The match, which was Jabeur's first since her exit in the fourth round of the US Open last week, saw her break six times as she chalked up yet another loss.

“Obviously, I’m very happy because she’s a very tough opponent. She’s one of the best in the world, there’s no doubt about this. She’s really tough to play because her game style is very tough, especially for me, who likes to play with the hitters. She likes to mix it up a lot, and actually I’m really proud of myself today that I was able to stay calm,” said Paotapova.

The match, lasting 1 hour and 46 minutes, witnessed Potapova fighting tooth and nail to cause an upset against the world's seventh-ranked player, consequently securing her spot in the quarterfinals. Undeniably, Jabeur's loss was Potapova's gain as the latter used this golden opportunity to secure a footing in the elite eight of the tournament.

Interestingly, the history of contests between Jabeur and Potapova had favored the former in the past. The Tunisian had charted an easy win against Potapova in their single prior encounter in Birmingham in 2021. This time, however, the tables turned as Potapova claimed victory by converting six of her 11 break points during the match.

The result has set the stage for an enthralling quarterfinal, where Potapova will now face 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. Kenin earned her place in the quarterfinals after overcoming Katie Volynets in a clash earlier on Wednesday.