California [US], March 9 : World No.131 Katie Volynets secured the biggest win of her career in terms of ranking as she upset World No.6 Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of the Indian Wells Open.
Volynets will face former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki in the third round. Volynets' excellent court scope and baseline strength gave her the edge in her first encounter with Jabeur.
"I'm so honoured to have a wild card here and I'm so honoured to play Ons. I've been watching her on TV for years so it's just such an honour to play here on this court against such a wonderful player," Volynets said on the court as quoted by WTA.
Infused with confidence after her 7-5, 7-5 win over Mirra Andreeva in the opening round, Volynets took benefit of Jabeur's drop in form to reduce to another straight-set victory.
"I'm definitely pleased with how I was able to execute today. I think it was very close the entire time. She was throwing in some amazing drop shots and slices and injecting some pace. I'm glad I was able to overcome that," Volynets said.
Jabeur managed to take a 4-2 lead in the first set, but her inability to work points did not help. Playing well from the baseline, Volynets took advantage of Jabeur's propensity to rush the ball and make mistakes. In a stunning comeback, Volynets won four games in a row to win the opening set.
In contrast to the five serve breaks in the first set, the second set was decided by just one. Volynets broke at 15 to make it 3-3, and she finished the match in one hour and 22 minutes.
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