Ons Jabeur v Caroline Garcia

Tunisian right-hander Ons Jabeur got an easy ride in the opening round against an unfit Johanna Konta, winning in under an hour.

After gaining her first main draw win in Melbourne, she told the press she had big goals this year and has adapted her off-season training to better prepare herself against the injuries which blighted her in 2019.

Reaching the third round at the US Open gave her the belief she can match it at this level and her opponent today will give her great confidence in reaching round three again.

Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia reached a career-high ranking of fourth in 2018 but has slipped back to the outer edge of the top 50. She fought back from a set down to beat Madison Brengle in the opening round in a performance best described as inconsistent.

While she currently sits 32 places ahead of Jabeur on the rankings, she has not been able to unravel the varied game of the Tunisian. They most recently met at the US Open, with Jabeur winning in straight sets, but further research shows at least another four clashes in juniors, where Garcia also went home disappointed.

I treat old form as verging on irrelevant when it goes beyond about five years, but an unbroken series of wins gets into the mind of the defeated.

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