Jasmine Paolini advanced to the fourth round of the WTA Miami Open after Ons Jabeur was forced to retire owing to injury with the Italian leading 4-3 in the opening set on Friday (March 22).
Limping and in visible distress, the Tunisian, who struggled with injuries last year walked up to the net and received a sympathetic embrace from Paolini who had earlier assisted her off the court after a fall.
Ons Jabeur had earlier crashed out in the opening round of the Dubai Tennis Championships and at Indian Wells.
Ons Jabeur had an agonising on-court fall as Paolini’s backhand was way wide, allowing her to break her opponent’s serve. With the score at 3-4, Jabeur appeared to be in great pain and hobbled on the court before being approached by Paolini who helped her to her chair.
Jabeur had her heavily strapped calf examined with a call for a medical timeout. Despite being attended to, Jabeur was subsequently unable to continue and opted to retire in the third-round match much to the dismay of the crowd.
Jabeur’s start to the 2025 season has not been a smooth one. She was in tears while trying to overcome breathing difficulties during her second-round match of the 2025 Australian Open against Camila Osoria. She got the better of the Colombian 7-5, 6-3 despite the asthma flare-up at Melbourne Park before going on to lose to Emma Navarro in the third round.
Jasmine Paolini won hearts for coming to Ons Jabeur’s aid after the 30-year-old had a nasty fall.
Speaking after the match, Paolini described Jabeur as “one of the best people on tour” while also hoping that the three-time Grand Slam finalist would be back soon and stay healthy.
Paolini who trailed Jabeur 1-2 in the head-to-head numbers coming into the game also highlighted Jabeur’s friendly nature even as she wished for her opponent to heal fast.
“It’s so bad to see scenes like this during a match. I hope she’ll be back soon and she’ll stay healthy. She’s one of the best people on tour. She’s always so friendly with everybody before and after the match. I wish everything heals fast for her,” Jasmine Paolini stated in a post-match interview.
Jasmine Paolini who is seeded sixth in the competition will face Naomi Osaka in the next round.