Ostapenko stays on course for momentous double
LONDON: Jelena Ostapenko is clearly not one to rest on her laurels.
Less than a month after turning women’s tennis upside down with an audacious run to the French Open title, she is at it again on the lawns of the All England Club.
Her 7-5 7-5 victory over Italy’s Camila Giorgi means the feisty 20-year-old is only four wins away from completing what would be astonishing French Open/Wimbledon double.
That would put her in the same company as Serena Williams and Steffi Graf, the only two players to achieve one of the toughest tasks in tennis in the last 20 years.
Her mother, and coach, also Jelena, said it might finally sink in that her daughter is a grand slam champion if she wins another one - and with the women’s draw wide open it would be dangerous to bet against the Latvian livewire.
“I’m just trying to play free, not to think too much,” Ostapenko said. “After French I’m more confident, so I’m playing every match better and better. I think I play aggressive. I control the matches. I feel pretty consistent.”
Her game still veers between rasping winners - a relatively conservative, by her standards, 24 against Giorgi - and unforced errors which would not look out of place at a local club.
That explains why her last eight matches, including her French Open final win against world number two Simona Halep, went to three sets.
Two sets sufficed on Friday, although Giorgi will be wondering how she did not at least take a set.
The Italian, ranked at 86 after reaching 30 two years ago, served for the first set at 5-3 but a double-fault and a backhand error allowed Ostapenko back in and she exacted full punishment by breaking again to win the set.
Ostapenko lost her cool at times and scowled across to Giorgi’s box where she later said someone was coughing at vital moments. — Reuters