Enlarge image
Jabeur took care of Bencic while she was on medical leave
Photo:
CHRISTIAN MANG / REUTERS
Ons Jabeur won the lawn tournament in Berlin and is still in good form shortly before Wimbledon.
With more than 30 degrees in the Steffi Graf Stadium, the 27-year-old from Tunisia benefited in the final with a score of 6: 3, 2: 1 from the injury-related retirement of the Swiss tennis Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.
With her second tournament success in the fourth final of this year, the top seeded Jabeur will move up to third place in the world rankings.
Bencic experienced her moment of shock when she slipped away at the score of 3:5 and was treated for a long time on her left ankle.
Jabeur tended to her opponent during the medical break.
But it didn't help.
“Surely neither of us wanted to end this game like that.
You're such a fighter, I'm sure you'll be ready for Wimbledon again," said Jabeur, who also dominated the game before her opponent's injury.
Bencic was still trying to continue
The 25-year-old Bencic tried to continue playing heavily bandaged, made three double mistakes in her second service game of the second set and gave up disappointed.
As in the previous year, Bencic only had to admit defeat in the final of the event, which was endowed with a total of 717,000 euros.
A good two months ago, she had beaten Jabeur on clay in the Charleston final.
For Jabeur it was the third tournament victory after the successes in Birmingham 2021 on grass and at the clay tournament in Madrid in May.
In the world rankings, she climbs to third place on Monday - and thus higher than ever before.
As the best German, Andrea Petkovic was eliminated in the round of 16.
Angelique Kerber decided not to take part in preparation for the grass classic in Wimbledon (June 27 to July 10) and will start next week at the tournament in Bad Homburg.
jan/dpa
