Jabeur Halts Halep To Reach SFs, New Madrid Champion Assured

Like the last big clay event (the French Open last year), it’s anyone’s title this week at the Madrid Masters as four longshots have reached the semifinals.

Ons Jabeur collected one of her best wins on the surface eliminating 2-time champion Simona Halep 6-3, 6-2 in just over an hour.

“To be honest with you, I was really stressed the whole match, knowing Simona, knowing that she can come back at every time,” said Jabeur.

“I felt like she played really well, and I’m impressed with the fact I didn’t focus on that point, because if I really was frustrated, I could have lost the game. But happy that I kept it cool and won that game, because it was, I think, the game of the set.”

In her second career WTA 1000 semifinal (after 2021 Indian Wells), Jabeur will test qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova. The Russian workhorse rolled past American Amanda Anismova 6-4, 6-3. It’s her biggest career semifinal, and she becomes the third qualifier to reach the last four in Madrid

Jessica Pegula also advanced ousting Spanish favorite Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 6-2. She was just in the Miami last four a month ago, and now she’s doing it on the clay.

“I’m not going to out-rally or out-grind her from the back, so it’s such a fine line of moving in and coming forward, but picking the right times to do that,” Pegula said.

“So that’s what I did, and I did it well enough. I drop-shotted a lot and it worked really well, that’s also something I wanted to do. I executed my game plan, it’s just so hard when you’re out there.”

Jil Teichmann reached her biggest semifinal with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Anhelina Kalinina. The Swiss hasn’t dropped a set all week.

“I really like the conditions here in Madrid,” said Teichmann. “It’s perfect. It’s a mix between the Spanish clay, which I practice a lot, and a little bit altitude like I’m used to from Switzerland. So it’s actually great for me here.”

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