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Ons Jabeur to face former world no. 1 Azárenka in Cincinnati Masters quarterfinals

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FILE PHOTO: Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur celebrates a match point during a previous match. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)

Ons Jabeur will face former world number one Victória Azárenka of Belarus in the Cincinnati Masters quarterfinals on Wednesday after defeating Christina McHale in the Round of 16.

The Tunisian dispatched the American with ease in straight sets 6-3, 6-0 in just over an hour to set up a clash with the two-time Grand Slam champion.

Jabeur dominated her lower-ranked opponent hitting six aces and winning all of her service games in addition to not facing any break points for a second consecutive match.

The world number 39 raced into a 3-0 lead in the first set after breaking McHale’s serve in the second game and it nearly got worse for the American but she held serve after saving three break points in the fourth game.

The remainder of the set went with serve and Jabeur could have wrapped it up in the eighth game but McHale saved another two break points to take the set into a ninth game.

Jabeur eventually won the set 6-3 after converting her third set point of the game and then reeled off six consecutive games to win the second set 6-0.

Jabeur’s path to the semifinal will not be an easy one as Azárenka, 31, is a former champion at the tournament having claimed the title in 2013.

It would be the 25-year-old’s first semifinal since the Tianjin Open in October 2019 but the biggest so far of her career.

Jabeur is the only remaining African representative in both the men’s and women’s tournaments after South African duo Kevin Anderson and Lloyd Harris were eliminated in the men’s Rounds of 32 and 64 respectively.

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