Tunisian star Jabeur's comeback from injury was halted when she lost to Russian qualifier Varvara Gracheva 6-2, 6-2.
While her defeat was straightforward, Greek Sakkari had to battle through a gruelling 3hr 4min battle in the south Florida sun but eventually fell to Canadian Bianca Andreescu the former US Open winner now ranked 31st - 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
Jabeur, beaten finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2022, has been working her way back from injury and, on her return earlier in March, went out in the third round at Indian Wells.
She underwent surgery after suffering a knee injury at the Australian Open, and subsequently missed the WTA Tour's Middle East swing. The 28-year-old struggled against the 22-year-old Gracheva and had two medical timeouts during the 1hr 11min match.
This story is from the March 26, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the March 26, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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