Barbora Krejcikova outlasts Jelena Ostapenko in three sets.

Barbora Krejcikova clenches her fist during her third-round match against Jelena Ostapenko at the Australian Open. 

Jelena Ostapenko went for a full-court press but fell short of victory at the Australian Open Friday. The Latvian thought she had Barbora Krejcikova dead to rights but watched the Czech come back and win 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park. The fourth seed pressed in the late stages of each of her set wins to move into the final 16. 

The two faced off four times with three coming during their junior years. Last season in Dubai, the Czech scored her first official WTA win against Ostapenko winning 6-3, 6-1. Since her championship win of the French Open, Krejcikova has been skyrocketing the popularity of the sport and the ranks. As the world number four and one of five top 10 players still left, she would have to keep her winning ways against the Latvian and enter the last eight. Ostapenko had ways of winning but the unforced errors from her end needed to be low to be successfully aggressive. 

Things started heavily between the stars as Ostapenko fended off the Czech. She managed to get to deuce, but couldn’t turn over the AD point. The 26-year-old dealt with the same but held the lone AD point for herself. The third became the most highly contested of the set with Ostapenko on the verge of holding serve but watching Krejcikova force deuce. It was there that the players went seven breaks where Ostapenko saved three before containing her side. After all the effort she invested, the Latvian scored a break of the fourth seed. She went on to back it up in the fifth, followed by Krejcikova, who slowed down the pace. 

Sitting three games up, the 24-year-old fought once more to hold serve in the fifth but gave it right back. The 26^th seed jumped ahead and held onto a set point to take the first away in 41 minutes. Ostapenko did not commit a single double fault and kept the errors low and winners even at 11. Krejcikova’s lone double fault and 15 errors were enough to put her on notice that Ostapenko was not to be tried with. 

She proved her point in the second set, doing well on the offensive side of the game and holding the Czech to a point. Krejcikova struggled to wrangle up her game but came through after playing to deuce. The Latvian upped the ante with a serve to love and broke Krejcikova in the fourth with a barrage of attacks. She let one slip away in the fifth to the fourth seed, who leveled the score at four-all, staying on Ostapenko’s tail. 

In the ninth, the Czech scored a key break of her opponent that put her in front for the first time. On serve for the set, the fourth seed conducted her best game of the day and forced a decider with a comeback that took 37 minutes. 

The Czech pulled off a key break to start the third, gaining control of the score. She backed up the break with a push to force deuce and save the service. Ostapenko answered with a stronger form, letting Krejcikova know that she was not going away. She pressed the issue in the fourth by forcing deuce and making a big fight for a break chance. Krejcikova denied her twice before scoring the AD point on the third break. 

The Latvian reached within a game but slipped to give the fourth seed some room. By the eighth, Krejcikova had her serve on lock despite challenges from Ostapenko to play for the match. The 26^th seed refused to give it to her while she served in the ninth, leaving the Czech to try and do it herself. She reached match point on critical errors from Ostapenko, who regretted them heavily until her opponent hit the ball long to force deuce. Another one brought up Krejcikova’s second attempt only to go down as a double fault. The 26-year-old brushed it off when Ostapenko gave her a third match point that did the trick. 

On the second serve, the Czech watched the Latvian’s return go into the net to conclude a comeback that took 2 hours and 10 minutes to accomplish. Krejcikova’s focus and determination put her into an opportunity to make the second week with Victoria Azarenka next.