ADELAIDE: Three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur stepped up her comeback ahead of the Australian Open by beating fourth seed Danielle Collins 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 at the Adelaide International on Tuesday.

The 40th-ranked Tunisian wildcard, who last week reached the Brisbane quarter-finals, had a shoulder injury last year that kept her off court after August.

Collins, the 2022 Australian Open runner-up who cancelled a retirement scheduled for the end of 2024, was playing her first WTA match since September.

Jabeur faces Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in the last 16 and said she relied on her forehand to earn victory.

“It saved me a lot, this was a really good match for me,” she said.

“After being injured I was not expecting to win many matches, but time off helped me physically and mentally. I was a bit tired from years of tennis.”

Defending champion Jelena Ostapenko needed a set to get going but kicked up the intensity in a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 defeat of Magdalena Frech.

The 17th-ranked Latvian, who won Roland Garros in 2017, will meet Madison Keys in the last 16 at the warm-up tournament leading into the first major of the year.

American Keys crushed Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, ranked four places above her at 16 in the world, 6-2, 6-1.

Ostapenko struggled in a scratchy opening set marred by more than 20 unforced errors against Poland’s Frech.

“After the first set I just fought for every point,” the 27-year-old said. “I found my game and got better and better.”

Keys, who married her coach Bjorn Fratangelo in November, broke four times in her rout of Haddad Maia.

“I didn’t do much wrong — and that doesn’t happen very often,” she said.

Greek lucky loser Maria Sakkari, who missed the latter part of 2024 with a shoulder injury, will next line up against top seed Jessica Pegula after defeating Czech Linda Noskova 6-3, 6-3.

“I’m coming back and have not had a lot of matches,” the former number three said. “Every match I play I feel better and my game is improving day by day.”

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2025