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Ons Jabeur called Iga Swiatek "a very smart person" and revealed her plan will be to try to "play freely" when she meets the Pole at the WTA Finals. On Wednesday, Jabeur clinched her first win at this year's WTA Finals after beating Marketa Vondrousova 6-4 6-3.
In her last group stage match, Jabeur will be taking on Swiatek, who is 2-0 after her opening two matches. "Iga is a very smart person and she knows how to adapt to these conditions. I'm gonna try to enjoy this game. Try to play freely.
Try to let go some of the anger that I have and hope for the best. It's definitely not going to be an easy match, but I will try my best," Jabeur said of facing Swiatek.
Jabeur and Swiatek set to play for the second time in 2023
When Jabeur and Swiatek meet at the WTA Finals, it will be their seventh meeting.
Going into the match, Swiatek owns a 4-2 head-to-head against Jabeur. After their three meetings, Jabeur had a 2-1 lead. Since then, Swiatek has ended on the winning side against Jabeur three times. Last year, Swiatek beat Jabeur in the US Open and Rome finals.
So far this year, Jabeur and Swiatek have only met once. In April, Swiatek had a 3-0 lead over Jabeur in the Stuttgart semifinal when the Tunisian retired the match due to an injury. After the opening two matches, Swiatek sits at the top spot in her group with two wins.
Jabeur and Coco Gauff own a 1-1 record, while Vondrousova sits at 0-2. Although Swiatek is the only undefeated player, she still hasn't mathematically sealed her semifinal ticket. However, it is highly unlikely that Swiatek won't make the semifinal.
On the other side, Jabeur will be in a must-win situation when she faces Swiatek. It remains to be seen if Jabeur can beat Swiatek and reach the semifinal in Cancun.