Jelena Ostapenko edged Iga Swiatek in three sets at Dubai Duty Free

Jelena Ostapenko lets out a scream during her second-round match with Iga Swiatek at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championship. 

Jelena Ostapenko kept her never-say-die attitude in check to come through at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships Wednesday. After losing the first set, the Latvian battled game after game with Iga Swiatek, who pulled off a last-ditch effort but was cut short in a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) on Court One at the Aviation Tennis Club. It marked her third match win over the Polish star, who showed signs of struggle against the resurgent Latvian. 

The two French Open champions met for the third time with the Latvian carrying a two-match streak against the Pole. The world number nine got the taste of Ostapenko’s aggressive game that put a restriction on putting together a pace. The Latvian overwhelmed Sofia Kenin on Tuesday, as the American struggled with her game as a hole. Swiatek pulled off the same feat against Daria Kasatkina, setting up a serious clash in the Emirate city.

Swiatek got a grip into the set early notching her first service game and then breaking Ostapenko in the following game. The Latvian managed to break back, only to see Swiatek score the double break for a 3-1 lead. She responded with her own double break, with help from the Pole, who double-faulted and practically gifted the game. The breaks continued on as the sixth seed picked up her third in a row over the 24-year-old. 

Ostapenko kept the game going the way it was, breaking Swiatek to stay a game down, keeping in the hunt. The Latvian dug in on her service game, recording an ace to get on the right track. Swiatek stayed close to the score, but missed on the last point, handing Ostapenko her first service hold of the set. The world number nine held an important service, putting her back in the lead at 5-4, with the hope of breaking her opponent once more. 

The sixth seed got herself into position, jump ahead on the scoreboard in the tenth for two set points. Swiatek pushed Ostapenko into a corner, making the next two shots difficult for her to return, which brought an end to the first in 36 minutes. Swiatek’s service was in the basement, winning 5 of 14 points from it. Her return game was no better, but the mistakes from the Latvian with four double faults damaged her offense to sit a set down. 

She came into the second set, holding serve, and made a statement of breaking Swiatek in the next game. She gripped the lead tighter over the sixth seed, who struggled with the first serve, suffering her second break of serve in the set. With a commanding 3-0 lead on the Pole, Ostapenko added another service game that backed up the double break. Swiatek found a way to resurge and clinch her first game of the second. 

In her attempt to tie another game on, Swiatek gave Ostapenko a challenge in the sixth. Despite forcing deuce, Ostapenko handled the situation and remained firm on serve to lead 5-1. Swiatek felt the pressure on serve and struggled to maintain strength from it. She erred too much against Ostapenko, who took the victory in what was a major defeat of the Pole that took her 31 minutes that set up the deciding set. 

The Latvian got back to business, scoring her third game in a row against Swiatek. She consolidated the hold with a break of the sixth seed, who was experiencing her vulnerability exposed. The Pole suffered another defeat, giving Ostapenko a six-game winning streak. Swiatek found a way to snap her opponent’s dominance and get on the board in the fourth, but it was a long way from a comeback. She somehow etched another game in the form of a break, digging into deuce with Ostapenko before capping it off. She pulled off the comeback to make it three-all, but a key hold from the Latvian gave her back the lead in the seventh. 

Swiatek battled in the eighth, forcing deuce on serve to save a breakpoint, and took down two more from Ostapenko. After two missed chances for the AD point, Swiatek battled to go a total of eight breaks, where it was a seventh breakpoint that gave Ostapenko a 5-3 score and service for the match. The sixth seed had other plans as she pushed the Latvian to the brink, committing a double fault. It left one game in place for Ostapenko, who had to stop Swiatek or face a long fight to the end. 

The 20-year-old had a chance to serve to love but erred to get Ostapenko into action. The Latvian pressured with the crosscourt returns that forced deuce and brought up a match point. Ostapenko sent victory into the set that put them back to deuce once more where Swiatek fired a winner to make it five-all. The 24-year-old felt the challenges from the wind to the fans cheering Swiatek on. 

They assisted in giving the Pole three break points but watched her blow two of them on errors. On the next point, Ostapenko fired a return into the net that gave Swiatek the 6-5 lead that opened the door for her to serve for the match. The 20-year-old struggled with the serve in the 12^th but made her way back that included a challenge from Ostapenko, who found out that her shot for the match point was long. Brushing it off, the Latvian delivered with a masterful crosscourt to win the game and force a tiebreak. 

The 24-year-old opened it, taking the first pair of points and losing the next pair to Swiatek. She regained the lead on a key winner before the Pole took control on serve. She scored another minibreak to sit up 4-2 and stayed in front with a two-point lead. The Latvian scored her second match point with a net-front smash, before blowing it into the net. Three was a charm for Ostapenko, who watched a long return from Swiatek fall behind the baseline to end the fight in 2 hours and 29 minutes.