Ostapenko shows Eastbourne class
Former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko produced a vintage display to sweep aside Anett Kontaveit and lift the Viking International title in Eastbourne yesterday.
Wild card Ostapenko, winner at Roland Garros in 2017, claimed the fourth tour singles title of her career with an impressive 6-3 6-3 victory over the Estonian world No 27.
Kontaveit came into yesterday’s final with a 2-0 head-to-head record over Ostapenko.
Latvian Ostapenko, though, never looked in trouble after a double break in the opening set as she coasted to victory in just an hour and five minutes.
“I’m really happy with the way I played the whole week,” Ostapenko said.
“There were some close matches, but I was fighting till the last moment.
“I played really well, and I think the semifinal and final I played really on a high level.”
In the ATP final, Australia’s Alex De Minaur fought back from a set down to beat Italian Lorenzo Sonego in three sets.
The tournament’s second seed won 4-6 6-4 7-6 (5) in a match which lasted just under two hours and 45 minutes.
De Minaur, the world No.18, had yet to drop a set heading into the final, but bigserving Sonego forced home two breaks to put himself in front.
However, De Minaur – bidding for his fifth ATP Tour title and first on grass – regrouped and built on an early break in the first game of the second set to level the match.
There was little to choose between the pair in the decider, which stayed on serve until the tie-break, with De Minaur making the most of a mini-break and hold to open up a 5-2 lead before closing out victory.