Ons Jabeur Cools Off Red-Hot Anett Kontaveit To Reach Indian Wells Semis

Ons Jabeur punched her ticket into the top 10 and advanced to the semis of Indian Wells with a convincing 7-5, 6-3 victory over Anett Kontaveit.

Ons Jabeur punched her ticket into the top 10 and advanced to the semi-finals of the WTA Indian Wells with a  convincing 7-5, 6-3 victory over Anett Kontaveit on Thursday. Jabeur now has a Tour-leading 48 wins this season as she tries to capture her second career title after winning a tournament earlier this year in Birmingham. "My game hasn't changed," she said. "I want to play the slice, drop shots and be good on the forehand. I am improving on a lot of things." In the other quarter-final Thursday, Spain's Paula Badosa put the finishing touches on the top seed assault, showing the door to three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber with a 6-4, 7-5 win. Jabeur, of Tunisia, will face Badosa for a spot in the final.

The other semi-final will feature two-time winner Victoria Azarenka against 24th seed Jelena Ostapenko.

Jabeur's win guarantees she will move into the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in her career.

"It is amazing. I have been working so hard. At the end of last year I said I wanted to be in top 10. People doubted me," she said.

The combined WTA and ATP Masters event is normally held in March, but returned this fall after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus due to the global coronavirus pandemic.