Jelena Ostapenko wins Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship.

Jelena Ostapenko hoists the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship after defeating Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets.

Jelena Ostapenko proved that hard efforts lead to success at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championship Saturday night. The Latvian dominated Veronika Kudermetova early and kept herself in check to win in straight sets 6-0, 6-4 on centre court at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. It was her first championship win in the UAE and the fifth of her career that brought her back into the top 10 rankings since the French Open five years ago. 

This was the first meeting for the two and for the Russian, it was her facing an unstoppable freight train. The Latvian began the tournament with a massive statement of defeating Sofia Kenin. She then took down three more former grand slam champions, with all her efforts invested. Friday’s win over Simona Halep was unheard of, as she bageled the Romanian in a tiebreak and took the third set flawlessly. With her going into the final, she had a disadvantage against Kudermetova, who got the day off when her opponent withdrew before the match began. It gave her a chance to prepare against a fatigued opponent and attempt to win a WTA 1000 title. 

Ostapenko showed no signs of trouble when she scored a serve to love and broke Kudermetova in the following game. It was a comeback from 15-40, that saw the Latvian win the next three points to earn the break. She added another service to love in the third before breaking the Russian, whose first serve was almost nonexistent. She gifted Ostapenko three breakpoints, before saving a point and eventually going down 4-0. The momentum was all in the hands of the 24-year-old, who made it 5-0 on a harder fight from Kudermetova, who came down from 40-0 to force deuce. A mistake handed Ostapenko an AD point, which she didn’t miss. 

It was up to Kudermetova to stop her opponent from shutting her out, but time to regroup the first serve was not on her side. She again handed Ostapenko free points and sat 40-15 down before she went down in flames. It was a lightning-fast victory for the Latvian, who took 22 minutes. Consistency was the major factor in the first set, with Ostapenko serving 63 percent with eight of ten points won, and five of six from the second. Kudermetova won just 22 percent and had seven unforced errors that were enough to throw that behind her. 

She went into the second set, breaking Ostapenko before backing it up with a hold of serve in the second. Just when it looked as if the momentum had miraculously changed, the Latvian got back on track, winning the next three games in a row. Sitting halfway between herself and a brand new title, Ostapenko tried to add a fourth game against the Russian, who dug in on serve and leveled the score at three-all. 

Despite having her short winning streak broken, the Latvian picked herself up in the seventh to take the game with Kudermetova trailing on the scoreboard. A key break set her up to serve for the title in the ninth, only to hand the Russian two points to start. Kudermetova was soon up 40-15, scoring the break win on a bad slice from Ostapenko. The 24-year-old tried to do it against Kudermetova’s service in the tenth, firing a line drive winner for championship point. 

The Russian delivered an unreturnable serve to kill it off, but on the next point, sent the ball long. It gave Ostapenko a second championship point that she clinched on a net deflection from Kudermetova, ending one hour and seven minutes of play on the court

“I think I played really well today,” said Ostapenko, whose voice was still on the recovery. “In general, I’m happy with the whole week because It was a very tough opponent I had to face every round, but I love to play here and come back again.” “I was fighting to the very last point and was down a match point against Petra, and every match was very tough, and I was fighting and the main thing I was doing, but I’m happy with the way I was playing all week.”

She is far from done in Dubai, as she and Kudermetova face one another in the doubles tennis final.    

Jelena Ostapenko clinches Dubai Final spot with three set upset of Simona Halep

Jelena Ostapenko played every point against Simona Halep during the semifinal of the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championship. 

Simona Halep found her biggest challenge late at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championship to take her out on Friday night. Jelena Ostapenko kept her game in check, pushing the Romanian to three sets that gave her a spot in the final with a 2-6, 7-6, 6-0 score on Dubai Tennis Stadium at the Aviation Tennis Club. Playing every point, she not only shut out Halep in a tiebreak but bageled in the final set. 

This was the first time they met since 2017 when they faced off for the French Open title that Ostapenko won. Before the gap in meetings, Halep won in Beijing, leading to this important match in Dubai. In the tournament, Ostapenko played six sets with most of them going to the brink. Her fights with Iga Swiatek and Petra Kvitova were all nail-biting marathons to make it to the final four. The Romanian had it way easier as the 2020 champion never dropped a set against any of her opponents. Halep’s consistency was her best tool to end the Latvian’s run if it all came together right. 

Ostapenko opened the match with a comfortable service, with Halep following suit. They played four holds of serve until the Romanian made her attack. Halep forced deuce and denied the Latvian an AD point before she clinched her own. The 30-year-old backed it up in the sixth for a 4-2 lead that beat down Ostapenko. The 24-year-old struggled on serve in the seventh, committing two double faults, handing Halep another break. She moved like lightning while serving for the set where she took just 83 seconds to clinch the hold of serve. 

It was a 27-minute set that saw the Romanian dominate late despite only having three winners and an ace. The damage on unforced errors totaling 20 for Ostapenko was a major issue that she knew would need to change to fight for victory. She secured the hold to begin the second set, then battled Halep’s serve to break her in the second. Moving the Romanian behind the baseline and increasing the aggression in her game began to set into place. She notched a third before Halep got on the board with her first in the fourth. 

The Romanian launched an attack that earned her a break, and in the sixth game, leveled the score by holding serve. Ostapenko made sure that stay ahead of Halep, denying her a chance to break again. The 30-year-old leveled back in the eighth, leaving it up to Ostapenko to produce the win she wanted. After holding in the ninth, the battle was on for the Latvian to overtake Halep and take the set. Errors cost her big in the tenth, giving Halep the hold on an error into the net. 

The Romanian’s defense was near impeccable, but against Ostapenko’s serve, it wasn’t in place to break her. Halep had the balls back in hand to serve for the tiebreak and hung to deuce after double-faulting and committing errors. She notched another one, giving Ostapenko another set point only to see it return into the net. A second return into the net clinched the tiebreak, making it the first for Halep and the third for the Latvian.

She took a 2-0 push, scoring big on the crosscourt winners, adding her 26^th of the match to make it 3-0. The 24-year-old took full advantage that sat her at 5-0 with an ace. A long ball from Halep handed Ostapenko a third set point with a line drive winner shutting out the Romanian to move a third set into play after 49 minutes. It marked the third match in a row where the 24-year-old went three sets adding Halep’s first of the tournament. Despite having 23 errors, the Latvian’s 18 winners dominated late to help her keep the fight on. 

The Latvian denied Halep any momentum on serve, breaking her apart in the opening game. Ostapenko painted the lines on serve in the second, backing up the break. The former world number one tried to regroup in the third, only to see that her level of tennis wasn’t close to matching what the Latvian brought. It resulted in a double break for Ostapenko which stunned the Romanian contingency in the stands. 

She made it 4-0 for herself, scoring another huge service while silencing Halep. The Romanian was all but out after she lost another service when Ostapenko challenged one of her returns. Umpire Pierre Bacchi played the hawkeye, which showed that Halep’s last return was long, making it 5-0 for the 24-year-old. She served for the match for a shot at the final and bageling the Romanian for the first time. 

Nerves came to visit after she double-faulted on the first point. She had another one that brought up breakpoints for the Romanian but got to deuce. The Latvian gained her first match point on an error from Halep, who answered on a winning return. A long ball from the 30-year-old brought up a second which came on a deflection into the net ending a huge victory for the Latvian after 1 hour and 36 minutes. 

Halep had 20 unforced errors and eight double faults from her end that was too much to handle playing Ostapenko, who had 36 total winners. “I’m really happy with the way I fought,” said the 24-year-old, who was losing her voice out on the court. “Simona’s a great player, and I knew it was going to be a tough match so I had to keep the level up and did pretty well.”

When asked how she coped with playing matches like that in the tournament Ostapenko made a clear acknowledgment. “Every round, I played a grand slam champion, so it’s not the easiest draw. Every match was a really tough one so I really go there and ready to fight a battle.” She’ll have more to come when she fights for a title against Veronika Kudermetova on Saturday night. 

Johannes Thingnes Boe wins gold in men's mass start

Johannes Thingnes Boe celebrates his victory after taking the gold medal in the men's 15km biathlon mass star at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Johannes Thingnes Boe had a near-perfect run to take the gold at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Friday. The great Norwegian won the men’s 15km mass start at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre. Martin Ponsilouma of Sweden won the silver medal and Vetie Sjaastad Christiansen joined Boe on the podium for bronze. 

30 men competed for the last medals in biathlon on the 2.5km course with four visits to the range. Quentin Fillon Maillet of France was at the front once more for France along with the Boe brothers from Norway. J.T. Boe led everyone in for the first, but he and a majority of the leaders missed one target. Tarjei Boe went perfect but didn’t get out front into the first position. Coming to the line was Sebastian Samuelsson of Sweden followed by the Gow brothers from Canada in second and third place. 

Tarjei Boe rounded out the top four, but on the second lap, he fell back a little while the Canadian brothers lead the way together. Before entering the range for the second time, everyone was mixed up with J.T. Boe back in the front and Fillon Maillet near him. J.T. Boe went perfectly with Christian Gow coming in second. The Frenchman missed one along with Tarjei who both exited in eighth and ninth respectively. 

In the third shoot, J.T. Boe came in with Philipp Nawrath of Germany. Nawrath missed three times, taking him out of the lead while Sweden’s Martin Ponsiluoma took second. Fillon Maillet went clean to move into third, with one more visit to the range left. Near the ten-kilometer mark, the French biathlete caught up with the Swede, getting back to second to hunt down J.T. Boe. 

The Norwegian came in for the last visit to the range, having a 13 lead before his first shot. He missed two that opened the door for Fillon Maillet or Ponsilouma to overtake him. The French star missed three that blew him off the podium, while the Swede sat 17 seconds back in second. Taking third was Christiansen before Fillon Maillet locked himself into fourth 15 seconds from the bronze position. 

J.T. Boe’s lead was 31 seconds on Ponsilouma, who had Christiansen 30 seconds back. Fillon Maillet was cutting time in his effort to catch the Norwegian. J.T. Boe crossed the line in 38:14.4 with the Swede coming in 40 seconds later. With all his efforts Christiansen held off Fillon Maillet while continuing to look over his shoulder, finishing third. 

Justine Braisez-Bouchet wins gold in women's mass biathlon start

Justine Braisaz-Bouchet of France waves her nation's flag while crossing the finish line for the gold medal in the women's 12.5km mass start at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. 

Justine Braisaz-Bouchet pulled herself late into the lead to win big at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Friday. The French biathlete topped Tiril Eckhoff and Marte Olsbu Roeiseland of Norway, who took silver and bronze in the women’s 12.5km mass start. The Frenchwoman’s actions of minimal misses earned her a second gold at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre. Eckhoff achieved her third consecutive medal in the same event, while Roeisland won a medal in every event at the Olympics this year. 

The top 30 biathletes took off on the 2.5km course, where they would complete five laps, with four visits to the shooting range. According to their world cup standings, the competitors left as a whole, with Germany’s Denise Herrmann leading the entire pack. Norway took the helm with Roeiseland skiing them into the shooting range as the chaos of firing began. On the way out, Tiril Eckhoff got in front of her teammate by a small margin as Hanna Oeberg of Sweden sat between them. 

At the entrance of the second shoot, six biathletes came in with the rest 20 seconds or more behind. Eckhoff and Roeiseland finished well and were out in first and second, followed by Julia Simon of France, who was more than 30 seconds behind. The two Norwegians came in alone to the third shoot, facing off for perfection in the standing position. With a 45 second gap, they took their time, but both missed twice, leading them to the penalty laps. 

Simon’s teammate Braisaz-Bouchet went perfect, coming to the exit line at the exact time as Roeiseland, who managed to finish her penalty laps quickly.  The Frenchwoman didn’t stay behind her too long, overtaking the Norwegian and gaining 15 seconds at the 8.4km mark. Eckhoff was in fourth, sitting a second back of Roeiseland, hoping to have a better outcome on the final visit to the range. 

Both Norwegians missed twice again with Braisaz-Bouchet continuing to lead after she missed one target. Eckhoff and Roeiseland somehow came out in second and third, but the gap was 50 seconds for the French biathlete, who skied away for the gold. At the first time check, Eckhoff cut 16 seconds from the gap, but it wasn’t enough to catch Braisaz-Bouchet. The 25-year-old finished 15 seconds from the Norwegians, who made sure that no one surpassed them for the remaining spots on the podium. 

Veronika Kudemetova upsets Garbine Muguruza at Dubai Duty Free

Veronika Kudermetova celebrates during her second-round match with Garbine Muguruza at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships. 

Veronika Kudermetova pulled off a late feat to dethrone the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Champion Wednesday. The Russian fought point after point with Garbine Muguruza to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on centre court at the Aviation Tennis Club. 

The Spaniard defended her title defense against Katerina Siniakova, who she struggled against on two occasions. Tuesday's victory over the Czech gave her a boost of confidence that she was capable of handling anyone. She carried a three-match streak on Kudermetova, hoping that the effort put in 24 hours ago wouldn’t become a problem. The 24-year-old scored a surprising win over Victoria Azarenka, who came back to Dubai after a long absence and exited once more. The Russian had a lot to be proud of in her game but had a full-time player to battle against. 

She made it clear to Muguruza in the opening game when she struck to force deuce and produced a breakpoint. The Spaniard slammed the door shut and played two more breaks to hold serve. In response, she took a 3-0 lead on Kudermetova, who eventually got a victory from her service in the fourth. The Russian broke the fourth seed in the fifth but suffered the break back from Muguruza. A serve to love made it 5-2 for the former world number one, who allowed Kudermetova to notch another game from her end before putting the set to rest. 

Muguruza smashed another game quickly, blanking the 24-year-old to take the set in 43 minutes. The fourth seed served an impressive 81 percent of shots on the first serve, with only five winners against the Russian. They opened the second with holds of serve that lasted six games. At the end of Muguruza’s victory, the Russian called for the trainer during the sit-down and took an off-court medical timeout. She returned to court five minutes later, going into the seventh with another service hold. 

The Spaniard remained level with Kudermetova after eight holds of serve. Muguruza posted a serve to level that tied them at four-all until the Russian accomplished the same feat to make it 5-4. The 24-year-old opened the tenth game with three set points, with Muguruza saving two only to come up short after 50 minutes. Kudermetova nailed 13 winners during her set win while keeping the Spaniard down and out with one. 

They went into the deciding set with Kudermetova serving first once again, holding Muguruza to a point. The 27-year-old stayed with the competition through another eight holds of service, until the Russian made her move. It was there in the ninth that Kudermetova trailed the fourth seed and won the next two points to force deuce. She produced two AD points before taking the lead and playing for the match. 

Muguruza tried not to let up, but on game point, the 24-year-old scored a winner to force deuce and caught her first AD point for the match. Kudermetova had Muguruza right where she wanted her to bring an end to the battle that took 2 hours and 17 minutes.  

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. 

Jill Teichmann upsets Elina Svitolina in straight sets in Dubai

Elina Svitolina didn’t have the answers to advance at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championship Wednesday. The former two-time winner of the tournament was bested by Jill Teichmann, who conducted a bit of dominance against the tenth seed, winning 7-6, 6-2 on centre court at the Aviation Tennis Club. 

The two met twice on the clay courts, splitting wins at Strasbourg and Madrid in consecutive years. On the hard courts, both have had ups and downs this season, needing a positive change to continue for one of them. Svitolina was back in her happy place and dealt with Mayar Sherif in straight sets. The Swiss star pulled off a big defeat of Elise Mertens, winning 6-2, 6-4. Though she had a win against the tenth seed, getting one on the hard courts was another task to accomplish. 

The Swiss star got the match started with a hold of serve followed by Svitolina, who matched Teichmann. The two continued holds of serve through eight games, with no signs of struggle. The Swiss continued her strength of holding serve to take the important 5-4 lead on Svitolina. The hope for a break in the tenth didn’t come as the Ukrainian controlled a majority of her service until a mistake at 40-15 brought Teichmann closer. 

Another error forced deuce for the 24-year-old, who miss-hit the forehand, bringing up an AD point for Svitolina. She was denied on her first but gained three more with her consistency to make it five-all. Teichmann was done having Svitolina on her tail and made a statement in the 11^th with a serve to love. The Ukrainian didn’t have it easy in the 12^th as she committed her fourth double fault but got out of trouble to force the pivotal tie-break. 

Svitolina faced the danger of blowing her consistency when Teichmann broke her for the minibreak and took off with the next five points. Sitting at 6-0, the 24-year-old blanked the tenth seed to walk off with the first set in 56 minutes. The Swiss notched nine winners and had a seven-point streak to be proud of against Svitolina, whose first-serve percentage took a hard hit from the double faults. 

She got into focus to regroup, doing so with a hold to start the second set. When it looked possible to notch a break in tow, her returns landed long of the baseline too many times. It led Teichmann to hold serve and send the problems right back in the third. She had break points in place, but errors got Svitolina to deuce on serve. The 27-year-old saved four breakpoints in a row, but the fifth went bad, leading to a break. 

Teichmann consolidated the break for a 3-1 stand against Svitolina, who couldn’t find an answer to countering her opponent. The Swiss had the double break in hand and coasted to victory back on serve to sit a game down of the match. The Ukrainian tried a last-ditch effort to bring her game together and extend the set further beyond her service. Long returns from Teichmann helped her clinch the service, but the ball went back into the hands of the Swiss to end it. 

Despite putting in the effort on deuce, the Swiss player let the Ukrainian create her own problems and earn the victory that clinched an upset in 1 hour and 44 minutes.