Ostapenko captures first match win over Madison Keys to move on at Qatar Total Energies Open.

Jelena Ostapenko in action against Madison Keys at the Qatar Total Energies Open. 

Jelena Ostapenko delivered an outstanding beating to Madison Keys at the Qatar Total Energies Open Tuesday. The Latvian had everything going right with her offense which gave her a much-needed win over the American, winning 7-5, 6-2 on center court at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex. Second-serve returns were a struggle for Keys, who didn’t have her dominant form in place, ending a winning streak in the middle east.

The American held a 3-1 lead over the Latvian, winning their last meeting in Cincinnati in straight sets. Keys carried a grip over Ostapenko, despite her retirement in Eastbourne that same year, retiring due to injury. This season, the American put together a long streak of wins through the United Cup but didn’t fare well in Melbourne. Ostapenko made it to a major quarterfinal since Wimbledon 2018, making it a push for her this time. Despite the dominance of her opponent, the 25-year-old had her ways of pushing through in a match, due to her semifinal finish last year in Doha.

Keys led the way at the opening of the match, holding serve and attaching a break of Ostapenko to it. Consolidating for a 3-0 lead was no picnic despite the 40-0 jump. Ostapenko rallied from the deficit to force deuce, but the AD point was difficult to attain. She moved into the fourth, holding serve, and broke back in the fifth in the shape of an AD point on deuce. She evened the score, despite her first double fault.

Keys denied the Latvian another step ahead on the scoreboard, becoming a competitive competition for control. Ostapenko put together a break chance but erred setting up deuce. The two went five breaks until Keys held it to lead 4-3. Ostapenko committed her second double fault, but that was small potatoes due to her focus to level the score back.

The set continued to see-saw in the business end, with Ostapenko leveling the score at five-all tallying a third double-fault from her end. She gained an important break on the count of Keys suffering a bad service game in the 11th, opening the door to take the set. The 25-year-old dictated the service, setting up three set points and putting the first away with a winner. It took 50 minutes for Ostapenko to get an edge on the American, winning 64 percent of points over the 53 from Keys. Though her winners to unforced errors were close, the winners were the high point that helped her edge late in the set.

The second got underway, with each player swiftly completing their service games. Ostapenko had the 2-1 lead when she pulled off a break to love in the third, consolidating it with a hold. In the fifth, she questioned one of the linesmen for a call but didn’t pursue it further. Keys went on to capture the hold of service, keeping within reach of leveling the set. The 25-year-old had other plans, holding Keys to love while serving, jumping to a two-game gap.

Ostapenko broke the American in a key moment, scoring the break on a crosscourt return that put her on serve for the match. Feeling a lot of comfort in her game, the 25-year-old handled the pressures of closing out the first round with a crosscourt shot ending 1 hour and 17 minutes on the court. “Today was a really tough match, and she’s such a great player,” said Ostapenko during her on-court interview. “She was serving pretty well at the beginning of the match, but I was fighting, and I think I found my game at the game and played a little better.” “I was trying not to give her any free points because I knew she is a great player and hits the ball really hard.” She won't be the last American who gives her a challenge on center court, as she faces Jessica Pegula in the second round Wednesday.