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.”