Ons Jabeur set to donate WTA Finals prize money to Palestinian aid efforts
An emotional Ons Jabeur announced she will donate some of her WTA Finals prize money to help Palestinian victims of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
After beating Marketa Vondrousova 6-4 6-3 in a reversal of the Wimbledon final for her first victory at the tournament in Mexico, Tunisian Jabeur broke down in tears during her post-match interview.
She pledged to give towards humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of those caught in the Gaza Strip.
“I am very happy with the win but I haven’t been happy lately, to be honest with you,” said Jabeur.
“The situation in the world doesn’t make me happy. It’s very tough seeing children, babies, dying every day. It’s heartbreaking. So I’ve decided to donate part of my prize money to help the Palestinians.
“It’s not a political message, it’s just humanity. I want peace in this world and that’s it.”
Jabeur will need to beat Iga Swiatek in her final group match to have a chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Second seed Swiatek has been in fine form in Cancun, defeating Coco Gauff for the ninth time in 10 meetings on Wednesday night.
The US Open champion double-faulted four times in a row during the second set in a 7-5 6-0 loss, with errors costing her dearly.
The win means Swiatek, who can overtake Aryna Sabalenka to reclaim the world number one spot this week, is the first female player to record 65 or more tour-level wins in back-to-back seasons in nearly two decades.
Swiatek is the only player to record 65 wins in 2023, with Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz on 64 and 63 wins respectively.
“In the second set, obviously, it got more tight,” Swiatek told reporters afterward. “I was happy I stayed focused. I had plenty of chances in her first service games to break back, but I knew somehow I would use one of those chances.”
Swiatek said she had to be adaptable to get the better of Gauff and stay in the hunt for the top ranking.
“I would say this match wasn’t consistent, in terms of the level,” Swiatek said. “So for sure, adjusting to everything that happened was the most important thing. It took me a while because I was a break down in the second set.
“I’m happy that I could actually problem solve a little the way to win these last games. And the key was, maybe being confident and mentally not focusing on the score, but really just sticking with the plan that worked in the first set.”
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