Ostapenko defeats Potapova in straight sets at Italian Open

Jelena Ostapenko plants herself in place for the return during her first round match at the BNL Internazionali D'Italia. 

Jelena Ostapenko dug in late to move forward at the BNL Internazionali D’Italia on Friday. The 26-year-old broke ahead in the sixth game of the second set, defeating Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 6-2 on Pietrangeli court at the Foro Italico. 

The two met last year on grass in an epic semifinal that went the distance and saw Ostapenko step closer to winning the title. The Latvian’s run on clay hasn’t been up to par with what she is capable of. Her losses at Stuttgart and Madrid were tough exits, but with Roland Garros looming, the 26-year-old needed Rome to be her best foot forward. Potapova was out in two rounds at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and in Madrid. She also wanted something good to come out of her second appearance in the Italian capital. 

The Latvian opened service and built a serve to love against Potapova until a line drive return changed the scoring. The 23-year-old rallied to force deuce only to give Ostapenko the point needed to hold serve. Potapova achieved the service to love in the second, showing her skill to fend off break points. Ostapenko improved her game in the third until Potapova committed the first double fault. The Latvian jumped on the breakpoint opportunity in the fourth to lead 3-1. 

The 26-year-old battled on serve to fight off Potapova’s push to break the ninth seed, widening the gap in scoring. By the eighth game, Ostapenko’s grip loosened, as the 23-year-old tied two games together, frustrating the Latvian. The ninth seed rallied back to hold in the ninth and pushed Potapova deep into her service game in the tenth until a set point clinched the match lead for the Latvian. 

It was a 49-minute bout between the two with Ostapenko committing one double fault, while her opponent notched three. They both played evenly on offense but the leverage went alongside the ninth seed, who produced strong results in the second set. 

Ostapenko rallied on serve and took advantage of Potapova’s double fault in the second game. The third didn’t go to the path for the ninth seed, who missed game point three times, missing by inches. It led the two to play five breaks, with Potapova taking her third break point chance to get on the board. The games stretched out longer in the second set, causing Ostapenko problems on serve, but the ninth seed broke back in the fourth. 

Potapova denied another service hold for Ostapenko, maintaining her reach on the ninth seed. A fifth break gave the ninth seed leverage to battle on and try to outduel her opponent. In the seventh, Ostapenko got the job done on serve, leading 5-2 after two breaks at deuce. In the eighth, Ostapenko needed three match points to close out Potapova in 1 hour and 37 minutes.