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Tunisian star Jabeur wins first round match at Australian Open
Image source, Getty Images
Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur won her first round match at the Australian Open on Monday as she aims to make an impression once again at the year's first grand slam tournament.
The number 27 seed overcame Germany's Andrea Petkovic, who is ranked at 102 in the world, in three sets (6-3, 3-6, 6-4).
Last year, the 26-year-old reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne - her best ever result and the first time an Arab woman had gone so far at a Grand Slam event.
"I'm trying to actually aim higher this year," she told 大象传媒 Sport Africa before the tournament.
"I honestly love Melbourne, I love Australia. No holding back I'm just going to go for it and play my game and be myself on the court.
"I try to inspire a lot of women. After all I am an Arabic woman and I try to inspire Arab women who want to be either in tennis or in other sports. I know it's not impossible - I have worked hard."
Jabeur was one of the players forced to spend two weeks in full quarantine in her hotels on arriving in Australia, and she took to social media to pass the time and show her training regime.
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under the watchful eye of her husband who doubles as her fitness coach.
After being allowed out, Jabeur was able to play in two tournaments, one as part of a doubles team with the USA's Christina McHale and another at a singles event where she beat Russia's Anna Blinkova before losing to Germany's former world number one Angelique Kerber.
The pandemic means that Jabeur and her husband have spent a lot of time together over the last 12 months a situation that she has tried to adapt to.
"We try to balance that - it's not easy to be 24 hours together," she admitted.
"We try to do different things. We were in Tunisia lately, enjoying time at home, so it was very nice. But at the end we love each other which is good."
As well as trying to do the best for herself and her career, she is determined to be an inspiration for women and especially Arabic ones.
"I hope I can inspire other women and be here and give an example," she continued. "It's such an honour for me to do that. I try always to give the best image. Hopefully I'm doing it well.
"I'm speaking to every woman out there, every Arab woman out there, who wants to go far in whatever she's doing, just go for it, never be afraid and work hard to achieve whatever you want."
Jabeur is one of four Africans in action in the singles events at the tournament.
Egypt's Mayar Sherif, who as the world 128 had to come through the qualifying tournament in Dubai, is the only other woman in the singles and she faces fellow qualifier France's Chloe Paquet, who is ranked 187.
In the men's draw there are two South Africans with Lloyd Harris (world number 91) facing Mikael Torpegaard (world 193) of Denmark and Kevin Anderson (world 82) taking on Italy's 9th seed Matteo Berrettini.