Roland-Garros: Magda Linette upsets Ons Jabeur for first big shock of 2022 French Open

Magda Linette edged out Ons Jabeur 3-6, 7-6 [4], 7-5 on Sunday. It was only the thrid top 10 win of the Pole’s career

AI / Reuters / Panoramic

May 22, 2022

Poland’s Magda Linette scored the first big upset of the 2022 Roland-Garros Championships, upsetting sixth seed Ons Jabeur, of Tunisia, 3-6, 7-6 [4], 7-5 in the opening round of the French Open on Sunday.

After losing the opening set, Linette stayed close to Jabeur throughout the second set, as both players held their service games. The Polish player won the tie-break and built a 4-2 lead in the decider.

Jabeur fought back to 4-4 but was unable to hold off the Pole, who won the final set 7-5 to complete the win in two hours and 26 minutes.

Jabeur’s great track record on clay in 2022

The Tunisian had won 17 matches on clay in 2022 – more than any other player on the WTA Tour and a marked improvement over her performance over previous years (13 wins in 2021 and 3 wins in the pandemic-impacted 2020 season)

Jabeur’s loss is the first big upset in the tournament, with the Tunisian being one of the contenders for the title. She won the Madrid title and reached the final in Rome, winning 11 of her last 12 matches prior to Sunday.

Magda Linette, on the other hand, was only 2-17 against Top 10 players in her career before today’s win. The pair had also met in Paris last year, with Jabeur winning their third-round clash in three sets. With the win, Linette is now 2-3 lifetime against Jabeur.

Linette, ranked No 56, will face the winner of the match between Italian Martina Trevisan and Harriet Dart in the second round.

Paris (Grand Slam): Other first-round results (Stade Roland-Garros, clay)