WATCH: Ons Jabeur jokingly hypes Elena Rybakina as "the big star" as the duo goof around on mic at Australian Open ahead of practice together

Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina at Melbourne Park
Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina at Melbourne Park

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur had a lighthearted moment at the Australian Open 2024 ahead of her recent practice game against Elena Rybakina.

Jabeur is set to start her seventh campaign at the Melbourne Major on Monday, January 15. She will take on Ukraine's Yulia Starodubstewa in the opener at Margaret Court Arena. Rybakina, a finalist at the Grand Slam last year, will start her tournament against Czechia's Karolina Pliskova.

Jabeur has received the sixth seed and Rybakina is placed third in the women's singles draw.

Ahead of their respective openers, Jabeur and Rybakina practiced together at Melbourne Park. The Tunisian kept things light right before the start of their drill as she messed with her partner on their way to the court.

"Film the big star," she told the cameraman, pointing at Rybakina.

The duo later took over the microphone to commentate on a practice match already in progress. Rybakina encouraged Jabeur to say fake scores and the latter obliged twice.

The entire video of their shenanigans can be watched below.

In terms of their on-court rivalry, Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina are not separated by a big margin. The duo have played five matches against each other thus far with the head-to-head tally of 3-2 in the Tunisian's favor.


A look into Elena Rybakina's Australian Open 2023 campaign

Elena Rybakina (R) hugs Aryna Sabalenka after losing Australian Open 2023 final.
Elena Rybakina (R) hugs Aryna Sabalenka after losing Australian Open 2023 final.

At the Australian Open 2023, Elena Rybakina faltered at the last step to reaching her second Grand Slam glory. She lost the final to Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka despite winning the opening set.

Prior to the summit clash, Rybakina had dropped only one set throughout the fortnight Down Under. She registered straight-set victories over Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Slovenia's Kaja Juvan in the first and second rounds, respectively. In the third round, she faced Danielle Collins, who was able to push the tie into the third set but couldn't stop the Kazakhstani from earning a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win.

The 22nd seed further handed an upset to World No.1 Iga Swiatek in the fourth round to move into the quarterfinals, where she met and downed Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-4.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion locked horns with Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals and prevailed by securing the first two sets. The loss to Aryna Sabalenka in the final was her fourth straight failure against the Belarusian.

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Edited by Siddharth Dhananjay
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