Jelena Ostpenko captures Viking International championship in straight sets over Anett Kontaveit.

 

Jelena Ostapenko lifts her fourth career WTA trophy after her match with Anett Kontaveit at the Viking International in Eastbourne England

Jelena Ostapenko impressed not only herself but many in the tennis world at the Viking International Saturday. What was expected to be a closer competition ended with the Latvian being well in control of her serve to defeat Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 6-3, winning her fourth WTA career title on center court at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne. It was the first win against the Estonian for the 24-year-old, who was on fire through the tournament to launch an attack that set her up for greatness. 

The Baltic battle occurred for the fourth time between the two stars with the Estonian leading the way. Kontaveit and Ostapenko met last season at the Merko Cup where it took three sets to determine a winner. While the Estonian has a good grip against the Latvian, meeting for a WTA title would prove most difficult. Both have dropped a set twice on their way to the final but a break for Kontaveit yesterday against Giorgi gave her energy to bring against the former French Open champion. It would take a lot of focus from Ostapenko to remain confident and score big before Wimbledon. 

The 25-year-old opened the match with an ace and held the Latvian to a single point on service. Ostapenko earned a similar victory but didn’t record an ace or a double fault. A battle ensued for control in the third as the 24-year-old produced breakpoints that led them to deuce. After the third break, she captured the break to gain a leg up and held the fourth to take a 3-1 lead. With the pace going Ostapenko’s way, Kontaveit had to hold serve in the fifth but she was out of sorts, leading to a 1-4 deficit. 

Carrying a fourth-game winning streak, the 24-year-old worked the first serve with good ball placement. Errors rattled her in the sixth, but one from Kontaveit gave her an AD point on deuce to come through it and go up 5-1. The Estonian played to stay in the set, but the momentum was running high across the court. She somehow found something from her offense that held off the Latvian, scoring her first hold since the opening game. 

She made a statement on the return side in the eighth, gaining an early lead on the Latvian. Kontaveit had three break points and won seven of the last ten points. The 25-year-old fired back the winning return that shut Ostapenko out, leaving her with a two-game margin. The Latvian caught a huge break in the ninth game as Kontaveit committed errors on serve that sent them to deuce, but a huge double fault that ended the first in 32 minutes. Ostapenko only had eight winners in the set, but it was the service from the Estonian that struggled with three double faults and how she wanted her game to flow. 

While she stood at the drawing board, the Latvian opened service comfortably to hold. Kontaveit had to work hard to secure her own service game that saw each of the challenged calls on the court. Despite going to deuce, she held after denying Ostapenko a breakpoint chance, taking it on the second break. The Latvian continued to look good on serve locking down the third and went on to consolidate with a break. 

She had another streak built up after five games, running through Kontaveit, who had some issues with her back but hadn’t called for the physio. She managed to hold serve, snapping another streak for Ostapenko, who had two games between them. The 24-year-old was in overdrive, scoring more winners that got her through the service in the seventh sitting one game for the championship. 

Kontaveit served to extend the match all while a fine rain began to fall on the court. She drew errors from Ostapenko early before a winning return made it 30-15. The 24-year-old leveled the score with a 12^th winner but felt pressure in the next rally that gave Kontaveit game point. Ostapenko answered with another winner for deuce, but two aces from the Estonian got her out of trouble on serve. 

It was on the Latvian to serve for the title herself and started off with two cross-court winners. Kontaveit answered with a winner on the third point, but it was all for naught as Ostapenko achieved championship point on a cross-court return. The Estonian denied her one but the second came on a long ball past the baseline to end the day and give Ostapenko her first grass-court title after 65 minutes. 

The victory made Ostapenko only the third wild card player in the tournament’s history that went on to win the title. The Latvian had 24 winners and produced no double faults for the second match in a row. “I was trying to go without any expectations,” said Ostapenko. “Just to enjoy the tennis because I knew Annett is such a great player, and it was going to be a very difficult match. So I was really mentally ready for it and tried to play my tennis.”

It was the first title for the Latvian since winning in Luxembourg two years ago, making it not only special to have a fourth title but be well prepared for the near future. “I just enjoyed this week so much and it’s great to win a title before Wimbledon,” she said. “It gives me kind of confidence.”

Jelena Ostapenko punches ticket to Eastbourne final defeating Elena Rybakina

Jelena Ostapenko clenches her first during the semifinal match with Elena Rybakina at the Viking International in Eastbourne, England

Jelena Ostapenko was well in control to get her into the Viking International final Friday. The Latvian dominated in the first and dealt with late challenges from Elena Rybakina, who went down 6-1, 6-4 on center court at Devonshire Park. The former French Open finalist scored 38 winners and didn’t commit a single double fault on the grass court. 

The two met two years ago at Linz with the Latvian winning in straight sets on an indoor court. Both players were well experienced on the grass in the last couple of weeks leading them to a battle for a spot in the final. While Ostapenko won their last meeting, she comes in against Rybakina with an aggressive game that helped put away Daria Kasatkina in three sets. The Kazak’s strategy of producing winners would either help her beat down the 24-year-old or experience a fight that could slip up. 

Ostapenko brought the pressure to Rybakina, who opened service but couldn’t deal with the early intensity, suffering a break to start. Before the Latvian could open service in the second, a fan in the court had an issue forcing play to pause. After several minutes, the 24-year-old opened the second game firing forehand shots at the 22-year-old that helped her consolidate. The double break was achieved quickly by Ostapenko, who took time away from Rybakina, but consolidating further was not what the Kazak had in mind. 

With a chance to get on the board, Rybakina found a way to change up the pace to her favor and blast the forehand to earn a hold. She went into the fifth, backing up the success with a break of Ostapenko. She continued to build together a winning streak against the Latvian that made it three-all. By the seventh, the 24-year-old fought hard to end the three-game slide and scored the break as a result. 

The task was still heavy for the Latvian, who was challenged with a force to deuce from Rybakina. They went two breaks with Ostapenko in charge of her offense to take a 5-3 stance. The 22-year-old served to stay in the set, scoring a key hold of serve that put her a game down of leveling. Before she could do so, she called the physio to evaluate a problem with her lower back. A medical timeout was taken before play resumed with Ostapenko serving for the set. 

The Latvian easily reached three set points with her second attempt going into the net and her third giving her the win on a wide return from Rybakina ending 59 minutes. The Latvian had 24 winners but nearly as many unforced errors that almost blew her chance to lead. The minimal output from the 22-year-old didn’t help her gain the important ground needed to lead. 

The Kazak called back the physio during the set break to put pressure on her lower back before opening the second set on serve. It was there that she got into a 0-40 hole, but a forced error from Ostapenko and an ace helped her get within reach. She fired a winner that forced deuce and killed off a breakpoint opportunity for her opponent on the next point. They went three breaks with Ostapenko having the leverage to take the break. She made a statement, holding serve in the second, putting herself in a great position. 

Rybakina managed to record a service hold in the third to get on the board, but further competition was to be played out. Ostapenko took point in the fourth, holding with a serve to love. She tried to go for the double break, but the 22-year-old didn’t make it easy. On the third break, Ostapenko had her shot and scored the 4-1 lead with a return landing long of the baseline for Rybakina. A hold of serve was achieved by the Latvian, but the effort was high due to the continuing challenges from the Kazak. She found herself serving to stay alive in the match in the seventh, but errors and a strong response from Ostapenko brought up match points. The 24-year-old lost one but a double fault from Rybakina handed her the victory that took 1 hour and 32 minutes. 

“I knew she was serving well so I needed to return well today,” Ostapenko said after the match. “I wanted to play well from the beginning because yesterday I was struggling a little bit and I think I played really well on the high-level today and that’s why I won.” She’ll go into the Eastbourne final playing Baltic tennis star Annett Kontaveit on Saturday. “She’s a great player and consistent,” said the Latvian. “It’s gonna be a good match and hopefully I can show my best tennis.” 

Jelena Ostapenko rallies back to make Eastbourne semifinal in three sets

Jelena Ostapenko clenches her first during the quarterfinal match with Daria Kasatkina at the Viking International in Eastbourne, England. 

Jelena Ostapenko upped her game to get through a three-setter at the Viking International Thursday. Daria Kasatkina’s start helped the 24-year-old get her game into gear, scoring many winners (38) that gave her a 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 win on centre court at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne. 

The two met for the fifth time and the second at Eastbourne in five years. It was there that they went three sets with the Latvian coming out on top. While she managed to come back from a set down and keep Ons Jabeur at bay, the Russian had a more dominating comeback in three sets. Kasatkina overcame a 4-6 loss to Iga Swiatek to take the next two sets with only one game lost. With a statement made at the halfway point of the tournament, Kasatkina looked to even the series on the grass with Ostapenko and make a run for a third title. 

She made the push to break the Latvian in the opening game, hitting the second serve shots of her opponent. The Russian consolidated the break with a hold, preventing Ostapenko from producing a breakpoint. Kasatkina flew out to a 3-0 lead scoring winners and watching her opponent struggle with the forehand. With the double break in hand, Kasatkina tried to back it all up with another hold, but Ostapenko had other plans. 

Drawing errors from her opponent, the Latvian built up a breakpoint opportunity that earned her a win on the scoreboard. She tried to consolidate with a hold but the Russian kept the pressure high, getting the win on an error into the net. Kasatkina’s game continued to move along nicely, earning a 5-1 grip of the set. The Latvian couldn’t get her game down on lock and suffered the break that gave her opponent the set win after 27 minutes. Ostapenko had too many unforced errors (15) and was beaten by Kasatkina’s winners (7) that did their part in winning by such a large margin. 

When the second began, it was Kasatkina winning her fourth in a row before her opponent put on a comeback tour. Ostapenko scored a serve to love and watched the Russian match her. She felt that she had more to produce against Kasatkina, and notched another one to level them at two apiece. The Latvian went on to break the Russian but suffered one herself that kept things even after six, 

Ostapenko managed to get the double break on Kasatkina before consolidating for a 5-3 lead. The Russian dug in more on serve in the ninth, keeping Ostapenko back from taking the set. A huge break for Kasatkina allowed her to level at five-all, opening a chance to still hold Ostapenko to straight sets. In the 11^th, the two played a huge point with Ostapenko winning it before being warned for using an obscenity. She battled through the issues with one of the linesperson and locked down the break to love to lead 6-5.

Her aggressive style of tennis was showing well in the 12^th where she produced key winners for two set points. Ostapenko delivered a crosscourt before returning a line drive winner away from Kasatkina that gave her the second set after 47 minutes. She was well in control in the set with 19 winners and only one double fault compared to Kasatkina’s three that opened the door for a decider. 

The Russian made up for her mistakes and opened the set with a win that Ostapenko helped with errors. The Latvian made up for the early loss and held the second before consolidating it with a break in the third. She continued to have a conversation with the umpire about the linesperson having an issue with her volume. She blew it off and went in the fourth determined to up the ante but gifted a break to Kasatkina. 

It was the last she would give and when Ostapenko found time to pressure the Russian, she did it with the pace high and forcing her to one side before scoring the winner. It gave her a 3-2 lead and going back on serve, the Latvian’s offense was in a perfect place. The winners broke apart Kasatkina on serve, giving Ostapenko a 5-2 lead with her chance to serve for the match. The Latvian had the Russian rattled and easily conducted her way to two match points. One landed long from a lob attempt, but the second came on a smash that finished her off in 1 hour and 46 minutes.  

“She played really well the whole match,” Ostapenko said after the match. “I really needed to find my game and play very consistently to beat her so I had to deserve it to win it this way.” She’ll await the winner between Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina or Latvian compatriot Anastasija Sevastova on Friday. “I’m just trying to enjoy it and not be hard on myself,” she said. “I’m trying to get back my game because I was struggling a little bit but I always love to play on grass and just looking forward to it.” 

Viktorija Golubic upsets Belinda Bencic at Eastbourne

Viktorija Golubic plays well on the forehand serve against Belinda Bencic at the Viking International in Eastbourne, England. 

Belinda Bencic didn’t have her game in place against her Swiss compatriot at the Viking International Wednesday. The sixth seed suffered problems with her service and couldn’t gold back Viktorija Golubic in a 6-4, 6-4 result on Court Four at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne. 

It was the battle of the Swiss stars for the third time and the second to come on grass. Bencic owns both wins against her compatriot and came off a huge win against Petra Martic Tuesday. With such a big statement that took less than an hour, the 24-year-old looked to keep up the good work and disallow Golubic into the fray. While their match on grass went back-to-back tiebreaks, the sixth seed would try to keep her doing that again. 

Bencic opened the match with a comfortable hold and went after Golubic in the next game. The 28-year-old overcame the deficit saving two break points before a second AD point attempt locked down the service. Bencic continued to strike hard and seal up another hold of serve, but Golubic was still playing with an offense that was not bowing down. 

After sealing up the fourth on serve, Golubic went after Bencic in the fifth after forcing deuce herself. She stopped Bencic from an AD point and produced two in a row. The 24-year-old couldn’t stop her opponent’s momentum and suffered the first break of the set. The 28-year-old Swiss player backed up the break to make it 4-2, but couldn’t keep Bencic back further. The sixth seed secured the seventh, but she knew that Golubic was playing her best game. 

The 28-year-old fired away in the eighth, allowing her younger compatriot two points. Bencic answered in the ninth with a serve to love, but the margin worked in favor of Golubic, who finished the first comfortably with two set points and a lead after 43 minutes. The senior Swiss had a better first serve percentage and converted better on breakpoints. 

Bencic dug in right away in the second set as she and Golubic traded points that led them to deuce. Bencic needed three AD points to lock down the hold of serve before changing her tactics. Golubic dealt with a breakpoint opportunity for Bencic to force deuce and stopped another before a miraculous point. With the AD point chance, Golubic got into a rally and somehow scored a winner while stretching for it on the far side of the court. 

Though it was not a whole loss for the young Swiss, she put together a serve to love before breaking Golubic in the fourth. The 28-year-old broke back in the fifth before consolidating it with a hold to level the score. She scored the double break on Bencic who was all out of sorts to the point of refusing to sit down during the break. The second seed talked to herself before the eighth which resulted in yet another loss and two games down. 

All was well with Golubic, who had a jump on Bencic’s service game but watched her close the gap. The 24-year-old finished the gap with a win that put her a game down but her opponent with the chance to serve for the advance. Errors from Bencic brought the Swiss senior to match point where a return wide gave Golubic the upset that took her 1 hour and 30 minutes. 

Elena Rybakina stuns Elina Svitolina in straight sets

Elena Rybakina swung big during her second-round match with Elina Svitolina at the Viking International in Eastbourne, England

Elina Svitolina went down to another youthful opponent at the Viking International Wednesday afternoon. The second seed couldn’t keep up with the winners that Elena Rybakina put together resulting in a 6-4, 7-6(3) win for the Kazak on Centre Court at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne. It was the first win she posted against the world number five, showing her offense best in the competition. 

The two met last year in Strasbourg where Svitolina scored not only a win over the Kazak but a new title. The Ukrainian struggled on the grass in her opening round that was against Paula Badosa, who gave it her all and nearly one. With it being a less than favorable surface, the world number five would look to handle the Kazak or play another three-setter, Rybakina took down British player Harriet Dart, who fought back with a second-set tiebreak but was silenced in the decider. The 22-year-old hoped she had enough energy to do the same if Svitolina allowed her the time. 

Svitolina opened the match with a good hold of serve against Rybakina, allowing her one point in the first. The Kazak had some challenges with her offense with errors, but forced deuce and won on the second AD point. She and the Ukrainian remained on their serves throughout most of the match until a change occurred after Rybakina shut Svitolina down in the eighth. 

The world number 21 overcame a short deficit in the ninth and fought to win the next two points for the break. A serve to love was Rybakina’s reward for overpowering the second seed and finish a set ahead after 37 minutes. Winners were a major factor in not only holding together her serves well against Svitolina but that they dwindled her opponent’s serve that failed to keep up with winners in the set. 

As the second got underway, Svitolina fought Rybakina, who wanted the early break and threatened with a breakpoint but came up short on deuce. The same went for the Ukrainian, who gained two breakpoints but couldn’t close it out. Rybakina made her pay for it and caught a break in the third game that she easily backed up. Svitolina found a way to hold and keep the Kazak close at hand. 

The 22-year-old remained firm on serve in the sixth, but gaining another break was not happening for her benefit. After a hard service game from the second seed, she battled Rybakina in the eighth creating three breakpoints. Every one of them was saved by Rybakina, who continued saving more and not finding the moment to finish the game. Svitolina had the fifth one after playing 13 points to level the score at four apiece.

Rybakina found a way to break back in the ninth, but with every hope that her service to shut down Svitolina, the Ukrainian pressured to break back. The momentum on points won helped her to take the 11^th comfortably, but she still needed one to force a decider. The 22-year-old knew how important her service game was in the 12^th and managed to hold Svitolina to a point before scoring the win on a long ball beyond the baseline. 

It set up a tiebreak which Rybakina wasn’t well played in, but a minibreak and a forced error from Svitolina gave her a jump on the score. A ball into the net made it three in a row for the Kazak who won the last seven straight played. A ball landing wide ended her streak but another error returned Rybakina to a three-point advantage. The Kazak scored an ace before the changeover and landed a winner for the match point. Rybakina had herself placed in a great position and despite dropping two points to the second seed, she got put away for the day on a cross-court that couldn’t be returned well beating the second seed in 1 hour and 38 minutes.

Jelena Ostapenko outlast Ons Jabeur in three sets to advance to QFs

Jelena Ostapenko clenches her first during her match with Ons Jabeur at the Viking International in Eastbourne, England.

Jelena Ostapenko pulled off the comeback with hard work at the Viking International Wednesday. The Latvian overcame a tough battle with Ons Jabeur, who gave it her all but tripped up in the end with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 score on Court One at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne. The Latvian’s victory snapped a long streak and a high for the Tunisian. 

The two met for the first time on grass, making it their third overall. The Tunisian continued to feed off the success of her maiden WTA title and becoming the first Arab woman to win a tennis championship. Her win over Marketa Vondrousova was a hard-earned one to increase her match streak to six games. Jabeur takes on an even harder opponent who has been hot with her experience coming up clutch. While she didn’t get the big success in Birmingham, the statement made against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova makes Jabeur a big target to take down and reach the round of 16 a fourth time. 

The Latvian opened service with a fight from Jabeur but held well to start off the set. The Tunisian held serve from her end, but as Ostapenko got into the third, she put the offense in new gear to score a shutout. Jabeur got one of her own that matched them through four games, showing no signs of letting up. Ostapenko notched a second straight that upped the ante against her opponent with a break in the following game. 

With a 4-2 lead, the Latvian saw her service under attack and Jabeur successfully breaking in the seventh. She backed it up with a strong serve that decimated Ostapenko’s lead, leaving her to fight for the set win. Using her anger and aggressive tennis, the 24-year-old secured the ninth game, hoping to put pressure on Jabeur to fall apart. The Tunisian responded with a serve to love that leveled them at five-all and went on to break Ostapenko for the lead. 

The Latvian had a problem when it came to breaking Jabeur this late on serve as the defense was the order of the moment. The 26-year-old saved two break points to force deuce before finding her way to get back into control. After losing a set point and saving herself from a third by Ostapenko, Jabeur forced an error on the final point to take the set in 40 minutes. It was the 14^th from the Latvian, who had to deal with six aces and 13 winners from the leader. 

She didn’t make it easier going into the second set as Jabeur opened it with a break. Ostapenko followed suit and stayed with the course against the 26-year-old through two more breaks. The Latvian found a way to dig out a hold of serve in the fifth and tallied a break to go along with it. She thought that her two-game lead, would give her a chance to pull further away from Jabeur, but a break by the Tunisian kept her close after seven. 

Jabeur managed to hold the eighth that leveled her once more, but the Latvian was having none of what occurred in the opening set. She held strong in the ninth, letting out a huge scream at Jabeur’s support and getting called out for it by the umpire. After taking a tongue lashing, the Latvian went into the tenth, breaking the Tunisian to force a third set after 33 minutes. Despite committing three double faults, Ostapenko scored on every breakpoint chance she created and minimized the errors to continue her fight for a quarterfinal spot. 

The fight was on between the two as Ostapenko opened up the deciding set with a hold of serve. Jabeur followed suit and they both continued to keep the other from breaking through the next four games. There was no clear leader until the seventh when the Latvian made a big push to secure a hold of serve. She went on to wreak havoc on Jabeur’s serve that scored her the break and a 5-3 stance to serve for the match. The 24-year-old focused well, produced a couple of free points, and earned the win after 1 hour and 42 minutes. 

 

Belinda Bencic sweeps Petra Martic aside at Viking International Eastbourne

Belinda Bencic was on fire and never let the competition into the match at the Viking International. The sixth seed controlled a majority of the day against Petra Martic, who went down in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 on Court Four at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne. 

This was the second time in less than a week that the two met on grass and with the draw in place, she found the Croatian first up. The Swiss was fortunate to get a day of rest after her defeat in the final back in Berlin. With a full week of experience and comfort on grass, Bencic looked to dig in deep into Eastbourne in her fifth appearance. The 2015 champion knew that with one slipping away from her, she’d like to put a good start to another fight to recapturing glory in the south of England. 

The Swiss star got a terrific head start against Martic, opening serve comfortably before breaking her opponent. Bencic backed up the break with a hold in the third and scored the easy double break having dropped only three points through ten minutes of play. The 24-year-old had yet to drop a point on serve, and in the fifth, she coasted to another win sitting one way from the set. Martic ran out of ideas on how to counter the sixth seed until the sixth when she pulled off a serve to love, avoiding the bagel. 

She fought in the seventh to end Bencic’s 13 point streak on service, but it didn’t stop her from finishing the set that took a lightning 17 minutes to finish. The Swiss won more than 90 percent from the first serve and every point when her second serve was in play. Martic managed to return 1 of 11 from the first serve and 7 of 15 overall. 

The sixth seed opened up the throttle with a break of the Croatian before backing it up with a hold. Martic secured service in the third before watching the 24-year-old shut her out in the following game. The next two games were split between the two giving Bencic a two-game lead. The Croatian had another service game locked down after seven, however, her opponent coasted to another win despite committing her first double fault of the match. 

The nerves were on Martic to try and finish strong on serve, but she erred twice that brought up match point for Bencic. A final error from the 30-year-old sealed the deal for the sixth seed who completed her opening round in just 52 minutes.  

Jelena Ostapenko drops Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets

Jelena Ostapenko clenches her fist during her opening round with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the Viking International. 

Jelena Ostapenko notched a beautiful victory to start her run at the Viking International on Tuesday. The unseeded power hitter did work to dominate against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the opening round winning 6-1, 6-3 on Court Two at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne. 

The two met for the sixth time and the first meeting in two years. The recent French Open finalist took some well-deserved time off the courts to get a break. She’d be at a disadvantage against the 24-year-old, who already put in two matches back at Birmingham. With their first-ever meeting taking place on grass, the Russian hoped her competition with Ostapenko came back to her and assist with the transition. 

The Latvian was the first to break ahead and fast against the Pavlyuchenkova, who went down a break and suffered the double after four games. Ostapenko cruised to another win in the fifth against the eighth seed, who struggled to find depth of any kind in the set. The Russian served to stay alive in the sixth, keeping ahead of the Latvian on serve. Getting a break was out of the question, as Ostapenko held her end well in the seventh to close out the first in 24 minutes. Despite having four double faults, the Latvian produced big winners that broke the Russian and kept her from digging into the competition. 

She rolled into the second set, breaking Pavlyuchenkova, and backed it up with a hold in the second. After eight games played, the 29-year-old found a way to get into her serve and blast out a win against the Latvian. She went on to catch a break from Ostapenko that tied the game and gave the indication that she was in the right offensive gear. The 24-year-old regained the lead with a break in the fifth, and a hold to take a 4-2 lead. 

Pavlyuchenkova served well to stay within a game of the Latvian, who landed her fifth double fault in the eighth but held to finish Pavlyuchenkova off with a crosscourt winner near the net. She played for the match against the Russian, who tried to stay in the match on serve but committed too many errors that handed Ostapenko match point. The Latvian finished her day with an easy crosscourt hit into Pavlyuchenkova’s end completing the victory in 59 minutes.  

Elina Svitolina fights her way to win over Paula Badosa in Eastbourne

Elina Svitolina clenches her first during her first round match against Paula Badosa at the Viking International in Eastbourne. 

Elina Svitolina didn’t find her opening round easy at the Viking International at Eastbourne. The second seed had a rough outing with Paula Badosa who forced her to three sets but came out winning 4-6, 6-1 7-6(1) on Court One at Devonshire Park. It marked her first win on grass in two years and one that got her on the right path.

After her performance in Berlin, the Ukrainian need another tournament before Wimbledon to try and settle in to be at her best. After another third-round loss at the French Open, the world number five returned to Eastbourne hoping that three was a charm to best her second-round finishes. The Spaniard hasn’t had a match on the surface this season, but her previous success two years ago had the opportunity of returning. 

The opening game was a competitive one as Badosa challenged the service game of Svitolina. They went to deuce where after five breaks, four break points saved and 16 points played, the second seed closed it out. The Spaniard got on the board feeling more than warmed up, but her opponent looked to widen the gap. The Ukrainian comfortably took care of business in the third and smashed out a break in the fourth for a bigger lead. 

Badosa tried to get back into the pace of the set, but the second seed stopped her attack for the break and captured the fifth to increase her margin of victory. The Spaniard struck back with a break hold and backed it up with a break to sit a game down after the seventh. She was playing a dominant game of tennis, winning 11 of the last 15 points. Svitolina had to dig out more from her defense, but it wasn’t enough to stop Badosa from tying the set at four-all. 

A key break gave the 23-year-old a 5-4 lead with the shot to serve for the set. She had a lot of trouble on serve, committing a double fault and errors that put her behind. Svitolina assisted with some of her own that forced deuce, gave Badosa a set point, and allowed her to put away the first in 49 minutes. The Ukrainian had 20 unforced errors in her game that went from very good to awry. The 23-year-old scored 14 winners to Svitolina’s eight, giving her the freedom to set change the pace. 

Svitolina reset her game and opened the second set with a hold over the Spaniard. She backed up the good start with a break in the second, hoping to have a better grip on the court against her opponent. She made it 3-0 despite having a double fault that forced her to get to deuce. Add some crosscourt winners allowed her to move into a good spot. The second seed scored the double break that continued to see her cruise along in the set. She added another good hold in the fifth where she finished Badosa off with an ace for her second of the day. 

Badosa avoided the bagel, holding service in the sixth to get on the board. When Svitolina returned to serve for the set, she upped her level gaining three set points. One return landed wide into the tramlines, but the next was a straight winner to force a decider after 28 minutes. She improved the winners to unforced errors ratio, leveling herself with Badosa, who had problems with the double faults and losing out on converted breakpoints. 

She blew another opportunity that involved opening the set on her terms. Svitolina backed up the break with a hold in the second game giving her eight of the last nine games won. Badosa worked through the third to get on the scoreboard, but there was still a fight against the second seed. She broke the Ukrainian in the fourth to level things but suffered a break back herself to put Svitolina in front again. She notched a victory from her service game, finishing Badosa in the sixth with a net-front cross-court winner. 

The Spaniard answered with a hold, making sure that the break won by the second seed was the only margin she would carry. Svitolina scored an important hold in the eighth that put Badosa in a situation where holding was the only way to stay alive in the match. She opened a 40-0 score against the second seed before putting it away. She took the pressure off herself and on the Ukrainian, who served for the match in the tenth. 

The 26-year-old struggled with the first serve, notching a double fault that gave Badosa plenty of breakpoints. She saved two and forced deuce with a net-front lob that caused her to let out a scream. The two played a pair of breaks where one AD point went against Badosa and couldn’t be challenged. She gained another one that sealed the break to force more action between the two players. 

Svitolina managed to pull off a huge break of the Spaniard in the 11^th to serve for the match a second time. Key errors helped the Spaniard break back on Svitolina and force a third set tiebreak. Badosa refused to go away quietly, but her fight against Svitolina was not in the cards. Svitolina cruised through the first six points with a 5-1 lead and minibreaks in hand. She reached match point at 6-1 on a ball into the net from the Spaniard and a wide return that sealed the deal for the second seed completing a hard effort that took 2 hours and 17 minutes to accomplish. 

“It was a very tough battle,” said Svitolina to Jenny Drummond. “It was a lot of ups and downs but in the end, it was lots of nerves to close the match and lots of close calls and went my way and happy that I could hold the nerves and play in the end.” The two played 209 points and tallied a combined 15 double faults showing that it was tough to adjust to being back on the surface. More would come from the second seed as she faced Elena Rybakina in the second round. 

Ludmilla Samsonova captures first career WTA title at Bett1 Open over Belinda Bencic

Ludmilla Samsonova put on a performance that brought her a maiden championship at the Bett1 Open Sunday. The Russian’s dominance took down Belinda Bencic, who didn’t carry the same level of offense and fell in the final 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 on Steffi Graf Stadion at the Rot-Weiss Tennis Club. It was the first time Samsonova won a WTA title in her second year on the tour scoring nearly a dozen aces and enough winners to take down the best left in the draw. 

The two never met before, but if either one wanted a title this season, it would take a mix of power, good movement, and luck. The Russian showed her strengths throughout the tournament that her forehand was not to be trifled with. Numerous winners produced helped tame Victoria Azarenka in straight sets that led her to meet the Swiss. Bencic worked hard twice going three sets but coming through against Alize Cornet to make the final. With frustration being a tool for Samsonova to utilize, she would have to hope that Bencic doesn’t feed off from it and capture her first career WTA championship. 

The fifth seed opened service and came out well but a couple of long balls got the 22-year-old to deuce. She managed to force errors from Samsonova to get out of trouble on serve and hold. When it came time for her to serve, the Russian suffered two double faults, but got to deuce and saved a breakpoint after that. She committed two more that killed her shot at holding off the fifth seed and sat two games down instead. 

Bencic took advantage of the short gap and put together a service hold in the third to be the one well ahead on the scoreboard. The 22-year-old tried to make good on her second service game of the set, but errors cost her to go down a double break. Bencic continued to cruise on service, making it 5-0 against the Russian, who didn’t want to go down without a win. Despite having a taped-up leg, she worked through the struggles in the sixth to secure a hold over the fifth seed. 

While it was an accomplishment to get into the action, she had nothing big enough to take away from Bencic, who captured the set in 28 minutes putting herself in a good spot. The Swiss star served 75 percent from the first serve while producing six winners. Her opponent’s nine unforced errors and only half successful from the first serve meant that she needed a reset. 

After leaving the court, Samsonova turned her offense around and opened the second set with a solid performance to hold. She got the best of Bencic in the second game, keeping her back to score the break. The forehand winners began tricking up the fifth seed, who watched the shots zip right past her. A fourth ace in the set handed her three game points, but a double fault came into the game. She didn’t let it bother her as she launched a winner to close out the game and go up 3-0 on Bencic. 

The Russian had the double break achieved in the fourth, showing major improvements to the first service that dominated the Swiss. Samsonova backed up the recent break with a hold that made it 5-0 and a close assurance that a deciding set was going to occur. Before she could do that, Bencic managed to get a game to her name to avoid the shutout. She showed some effort in the seventh to get a break and build from there, but the Russian was on a mission and slammed the door to take the set in 24 minutes. 

Samsonova was the only one to achieve a winner in the second set and produced 12 along with seven aces. Bencic was coming up short on ideas on how to counter with the window closing on her end. When she tried to serve strong against the Russian, the game inevitably ended in her hands for the break. The 22-year-old backed it up to take a 2-0 lead with Bencic trying again on serve. 

She delivered well in the third game, scoring an ace and a crosscourt winner that pushed her to victory on serve. With the early statement, she attempted to even the score, but couldn’t dig in well against the Russian. It led Samsonova to a 3-1 lead, sitting halfway from the title. A second win came off the racket of Bencic, who worked hard on serve to stay in touch with her opponent. 

The next two games saw Bencic dug in well with her service, but with Samsonova up a game, she had to find a way to break her and see a chance at turning the tables. She gave herself a good chance in the eighth, but when it came time to score the breakpoint, the 22-year-old refused to give it to her. They ended up on deuce played a couple of breaks where Samsonova brought the forehand in to finish the job and secure the serve. 

She played for the championship in the ninth, forcing Bencic into submission with strong returned shots. She reached her first championship on a long ball error from Bencic, who was gifted a shot at deuce instead. A great return from Samsonova had the ball passing Bencic for a second point that fell into the set and sealed a milestone moment for the Russian that took her 1 hour and 36 minutes.   

Ludmilla Samsonova devastates Victoria Azarenka to reach Berlin final

Ludmilla Samsonova rocked the competition at the Bett1 Open in Berlin, Germany. 

Ludmilla Samsonova produced a devastating game that put her in the final of the Bett1 Open Saturday. The young Russian relied on her powerful forehand that broke the game of Victoria Azarenka in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 on Steffi Graff Stadion at the Rot-Weiss Tennis Club in Berlin. It marked her a first career WTA final appearance and one that set her up for more while playing on the grass courts. 

The two met for the first time at a critical point to catch a premier title this season. The Russian did a great job pushing Madison Keys to the brink and edged her off to take the three-set victory. Going against the Belorussian would prove difficult as the power hitter brought more to the table. Azarenka proved just that against Jessica Pegula, whose tactics were challenging through three sets. Though she found a way to overcome her early mistakes, the 31-year-old making her second grass semifinal knew she couldn’t let a final spot slip away. With Belinda Bencic waiting for the winner, it came down to who got the best start over the other.

Azarenka opened service but committed too many errors that gave Samsonova the early break. The Czech flew through her service scoring a shutout against the former world number one. The Belorussian turned things around fast with a serve to love in the third, forcing errors from Samsonova. She found herself down 0-40 by Azarenka but rushed back to save every breakpoint, force deuce, and conduct her own path to hold serve. 

With a deficit in front of her, the 31-year-old knew that a hold in the fifth was necessary to keep Samsonova within reach. Through nine games, Azarenka continued to trail as they reached the business end of the set but fought to make her one-game cap disappear at the end. Playing against Samsonova’s serve proved difficult as the Russian launched fast crosscourt winners that brought up her third set point attempt. A drawn error gave Samsonova the early lead that took her 34 minutes to accomplish. 

Producing winners for the Belorussian was an obvious sight on the court as she launched 17 with many not returned. While she had only five unforced errors, the struggle to answer the Russian was becoming a major factor in her deficit. The opening game of the second didn’t get better for the 31-year-old as she faced further blast from the Samsonova forehand that gave her a break. 

The next three games were all in the Russian’s control as she continued her offense while adding power to the returns that wrecked the seventh seed to the brink. The Belorussian tried to fight her off again in the fifth when Samsonova stopped her from completing a service game. The Russian pushed for the breakpoints twice but couldn’t convert on her chances. Good court placement and her signature attack helped Azarenka get a second shot at the game that came on a long ball from the 22-year-old. 

Despite letting a game get out of hand, she remained defiant on serve in the sixth that put her a game from making the final. Samsonova played for the match on Azarenka’s service, which started with a big forehand shot and ended with an extension of the competition. There was a long road for Azarenka to come back from with Samsonova serving for the match. The 22-year-old quickly reached three match points against the seventh seed, relying on the second serve to watch her opponent return the ball wide, sealing the victory in one hour and five minutes. 

Victoria Azarenka downs Jessica Pegula in three sets at Bett1 Open

 

Victoria Azarenka fought well into the evening against Jessica Pegula at the Bett1 Open in Berlin, Germany. 

Jessica Pegula put up a difficult time for her opponent but came up short at the Bett1 Open Friday evening. With the light quickly fading, Victoria Azarenka overcame a problem where she rushed the second set and had to play three, but came through in a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 on Steffi Graff Stadion at the Rot-Weiss Tennis Club in Berlin. 

Both had tough opponents in the round of 16 to get to this point. Their battle at the Australian Open that Pegula won, would ignite much on the grass courts between them. As the competitive star that she is, Azarenka wanted nothing more than to avenge the Buffalo, New York native, and even the series while advancing to the semifinal. As the Belorussian faced a tough young opponent, timing, and movement on the court were going to determine who bested the other. 

Azarenka was first to produce a win on the evening, scoring a serve to love against the American. She backed it up despite some challenges on serve and Pegula fighting for a shot at breaking back. Pegula notched a shutout of Azarenka but the early damage held firm as the 31-year-old took a 3-1 lead with her hold of service. 

The 27-year-old kept in touch with the Belorussian, but her counterpart was well under control with her service game. A second serve to love was produced by Azarenka, who then gave a fight to the American in the seventh. After she forced deuce, she kept the pressure on the server, saving two more game points before breaking a second time. Azarenka finished things up with the third shutout of Pegula that brought the set to a close in 28 minutes. Her serve was at 65 percent with eight winners and an ace that wrecked the nerves of Pegula. 

She rolled her success into the second set, winning her fourth game in a row. With the break in hand, Azarenka held in the second to increase her streak and put the American back in a hole. She notched a victory on her second service game of the set, but getting a break on the former world number one was not in her current hand. After seven games, the margin remained one game for Azarenka, who served the eighth but ran into trouble that quickly gave Pegula the serve to love and a level terms situation. 

When it came time for her to serve, Pegula worked well, pressured Azarenka, and came through with a hold to sit up 5-4. The Belorussian avoided going down on serve and tied it back in the tenth to go further on with the American vying to lead once more. With help from Azarenka’s return errors, Pegula got the victory easily to return the pressure on the 31-year-old. Errors were enough to help the American get into position in the 12^th and force the match to three sets after 47 minutes. The rush that Pegula put on Azarenka produced 15 unforced errors and four double faults. 

With that damage and the knowledge of her mistakes, the Belorussian came into the deciding set with a shutout of the American.  Pegula broke back in the second that led them to continue breaking apart each other’s games. After four breaks of serve, Pegula changed things up to take the lead 3-2 with darkness approaching. Azarenka responded with a hold to love in the sixth while both showed no signs of giving up. 

The Belorussian went on to break the American and back it up with a service hold in the eighth. With just one more game to win, the 31-year-old worked hard to get it finished. Pegula held firm to love in the ninth, but she was not away from the edge as Azarenka had a shot at closing the match. Azarenka took care of business running up to a 40-0 run before Pegula got lucky on a shot near the net, getting just over the net. A winner helped the Belorussian get over the finish line, scoring a winner that ended things in 1 hour and 50 minutes.