WTA Rome: Being Jelena Ostapenko
One thing is always guaranteed when Jelena Ostapenko performs: great entertainment value. This is also the case these days at the WTA Tour 1000 tournament in Rome.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
May 15, 2023, 07:53 am
How did Angelique Kerber always put it so beautifully? No one can take away her triumph at Wimbledon (not that anyone would have tried). In the case of Kerbers, there are also the championships at the Australian Open and the US Open, which will forever remain in contact with the exceptional German player who is currently pausing for babies.
Jelena Ostapenko also has her everlasting gem, in 2017 the Latvian surprisingly conquered the title in Roland Garros. Conquers in her very own way: Ostapenko fearlessly taps every ball. And sometimes with more, often with less success. But always with a high entertainment value.
Like on Sunday in the Foro Italico. Ostapenko was 5-1 behind Barbora Krejcikova in the first set. And won twelve of the remaining 13 games, including the tie-break in round one. Yes, Jelena Ostapenko felt so bad that she only let Krejcikova, after all a winner at the French Open, only six points in the entire second set.
Ostapenko wins title in Dubai 2022
What does that mean for the upcoming encounter with Daria Kasatkina in Rome? Nothing at all! Because that's the beauty of Jelena Ostapenko: She's not only unpredictable for her opponent, but also for herself.
The 25-year-old has played fairly inconspicuously good tennis in recent months, is ranked 20th in the WTA charts in singles and eighth in doubles. Here and there Jelena Ostapenko is even good for a reasonably big title, like last year in Dubai. So far there have been five in singles, including those at the French Open.
Could an alley open up in Rome? Looking at the lower half of the tableau, from which the three highest seeded women, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Caroline Garcia, have already said goodbye, that would be conceivable. Unfortunately, Jelena Ostapenko was drawn to the top. And as is well known, Iga Swiatek draws her circles.
Here the single tableau in Rome
rommap