Jelena Ostapenko marks strong win in straight sets at WTA 1000 Toronto

Jelena Ostapenko found charge in her first round match at the National Bank Open in Toronto. 

Jelena Ostapenko had a couple of ups and down but took control during the critical moments at the National Bank Open Monday. Anhelina Kalinina rattled her own game to pieces while being challenged by the 16th seed in a 6-4, 6-2 score on Court 1 at Sobeys Stadium at York University.

The Latvian was ready to restart the hard court season after less than expected results during the grass court run. With an unsuccessful defense at Eastbourne and being kicked out of Wimbledon in the fourth round, the 25-year-old eyed an easy start in Toronto. Despite having a 2-0 series lead against the Ukrainian, her 2-5 record in Canada didn’t stand up to expectations. Coming back to the tournament for the first time in three years, Ostapenko hopes she could settle her ways and be back in the hunt like she was earlier this year.

Ostapenko opened the match with two double faults between points but managed to hold serve. It wasn’t an easy start for Kalinina, who had a tough challenge from the 16th seed. The players went to deuce until an error from Ostapenko on the second break evened the score. Both struggled with their respective offense, notching double faults but held serve through the next two games.

They both notched back-to-back holds of serve, but reaching the business end of the first set for Ostapenko was her time to strike. After clinching the ninth game, the Latvian was laser focused while Kalinina notched several double faults on serve. It gave way to an easy finish of the first set that lasted 43 minutes.

The 16th seed brought the best of her offense to start the second set, landing an ace and lobbing easy point wins across the net. Despite losing the chance for a shutout, Ostapenko held with a sliced crosscourt that didn’t come back. The Latvian took a comfortable 2-0 lead, playing comfortably on the court. Backing up the break almost fell apart for Ostapenko, but saving a breakpoint from Kalinina got her to deuce and in position to secure the game. The Ukrainian found a way to get onto the scoreboard, making her shots hard for Ostapenko to return.

Kalinina got back on track with a heavy break of the 16th seed, gaining lost ground to sit a game behind. Knowing that her opponent was pressuring her on the scoreboard, Ostapenko claimed a critical break back that put her two games up and a chance to serve for a wider gap. She quickly dispatched Kalinina in the seventh, adding nerves to the Ukrainian. On serve to stay in contention, she lost the first pair of points as the Latvian responded well on returns.

She gained two points herself and then reached game point. Ostapenko forced deuce with a blistering backhand crosscourt and reached match point on a gifted error. Kalinina’s 11th double fault of the match took her out of the tournament, handing Ostapenko the victory in 1 hour and 13 minutes.

Ostapenko tallied 26 of 32 points from the first serve and saved five of six breakpoints against the Ukrainian. Despite troubles from her second serve, the points won changed up the pace of scoring and gave her a great start. She would need everything to go right in the second round when she faces the winner between Alison Riske or Petra Kvitova.

Victoria Azarenka notches another win at Citi Open

Victoria Azarenka gives the crowd a wave of thanks after her two set match with Tereza Martincova at the Citi Open. 

Victoria Azarenka faced challenges on the court but came through at the Citi Open Friday. Tereza Martincova gave it her all in the delayed round of 16 matchup but fell in a 7-6(7), 6-2 score on Grandstand Court at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center.

In a victory over Dayana Yastremska Monday, the fourth seed takes on the Czech for the second time and the first since the US Open last year. Azarenka managed to blank Martincova similarly as the Ukrainian, hoping that she had the same results and move into the quarterfinal. The 27-year-old came into Washington with a 1-9 first-round record in her last ten tournaments. The match against Xinyu Wang took Martincova over two hours to defeat the Chinese star. Earning two days off gave her time to recover as she planned to give it her all and level the series with the former world number one.

Martincova opened service and battled Azarenka through every point. The 33-year-old forced deuce and fought hard to produce an AD point. All three achieved went the way of the Czech, who managed to save face and be out on top in the opening game. Azarenka had a rusty start that led Martincova to achieve the break and a 2-0 lead. The fourth seed recovered, drawing errors from the Czech to break back in the third.

Azarenka backed up her lone win with a service hold that leveled the score despite some issues that she expressed verbally. The next two games saw each of them contain service, but in the seventh, Martincova was up 40-0. Azarenka saved two game points but was cut short of forcing deuce. Azarenka put together the best game of the set, charging shots hard at the Czech, who struggled to keep up.

With the score tied, Martincova finally achieved an easy service to love against the former world number one, setting up a chance to break and take the first. Azarenka refused to give in and started the tenth with some big point wins against the Czech. A double fault and an error hindered her chance to secure the serve. She fought back to gain the AD point, watching Martincova fail to get the ball back across the court.

The 11th game was a tug of war for control as neither wanted to be trailing going into the last game of the set. Martincova tried to close it at 40-30, but the 33-year-old forced long drawn out deuce. Both players spanned six breaks, with Azarenka finding chances through half of them, but on the final point, it was the Czech securing the service. The fourth seed held her end to bring up a tiebreak, but Martincova was still out in front.

An ace for Azarenka made it three-all and her moment to sit in front of Martincova. It was a short-lived moment for the former world number one, as she found herself close to the Czech through the next five points played. On her first set point attempt, Azarenka suffered a tough break from Martincova, who made a statement on a winner.

With the score tied, they continued until a lob from the fourth seed had the 27-year-old on the ropes. On a second set point attempt, Azarenka clinched the first with a crosscourt winner that capped her lead after an 80-minute battle. Both players combined for eight double faults, with Azarenka recording five. The 33-year-old won 73 percent of points from the first serve, indicating she had enough strength to fight on.

The second went the way of the 33-year-old, who opened scoring with Martincova on her tail. Once the game point was at hand for Azarenka, the fourth seed capped the game and went right into the second, breaking Martincova late. She had the Czech pinned down while she backed up the break for a 3-0 lead, following the same route two days ago. Azarenka soon had a commanding 4-0 run on Martincova, who couldn’t find her way across the fourth seed.

In the fifth, the 27-year-old dug in against the service of Azarenka but watched her opponent force deuce. Despite the missed opportunity, Martincova battled to break the fourth seed and get on the board. She held serve, splitting Azarenka’s lead in the sixth. The loss of two games didn’t break the spirit of the 33-year-old, who was determined to cross the finish line and enter the quarterfinal. Winning the seventh game was huge for the fourth seed, getting the job done on serve to pressure the Czech.

Martincova carried the lead in the eighth but was forced to deuce by the 33-year-old. They went through four breaks where the 27-year-old saved two match points. She continued to gain AD points, but a low fast winner from Azarenka brought it back to deuce. A forehand return painted the baseline for a third match point that went into the net during the final rally ending a two-hour fight.

Despite so much effort put in to her day, she guaranteed herself another aganst Xinyu wang for a spot in the semifinal. All depended on whether the weather would hold up enough for them to get into action or face a potential doublheader Saturday. 

Azarenka flies to win maiden Citi Open match

Victoria Azarenka was all smiles after her first match since May, defeating Dayana Yastremska at the Citi Open Tuesday. 

Victoria Azarenka opened her first visit to the Citi Open with a landslide victory Tuesday afternoon. The fourth seed kept her composure and an offense that defeated Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 6-0 on John Harris Court at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center. The Ukrainian left herself no chance to come back with seven double faults and 42 unforced errors that ended the scoring gap by 24 points.

The two met in Toronto in 2019, where the young Ukrainian etched her first win against the former world number one. In five of the last six tournaments played, Yastremska hasn’t made it out of the first round. She hasn’t made an impact during any US run but felt that her time might come in the nation’s capital.

Azarenka wasn’t allowed to play at Wimbledon and decided to focus on her hard court favoritism and skip the entirety of grass court action. It was her first visit to Washington DC, and the first match played since May. The 33-year-old was ready for a strong start just two weeks before going to the Western and Southern Open.

She was gifted an easy reception by Yastremska, who erred early during her service. She nearly gave Azarenka a break to love, but two long balls from the fourth seed put her halfway from deuce. The Ukrainian earned a chance to secure the service, but a double fault handed the 33-year-old the lead. She consolidated the break with ease on serve, but couldn’t score the double break on the 22-year-old.

Yastremska was happy to get into play on the court and move alongside Azarenka, who had a 3-1 lead. The Ukrainian notched another hold of serve in the fifth before opening the sixth with a break to love chance. The fourth seed had a lot of trouble on serve but somehow climbed back to deuce. They played three breaks where on the fourth breakpoint chance for the Ukrainian, a huge effort from her leveled the score at three each.

Azarenka pushed hard to break Yastremska for the lead back, but the Ukrainian kept it level with a break back. She wanted to be in front for the first time in the set, but the fourth seed wouldn’t have it. Azarenka forced deuce, gaining the breakpoint in turn. It was another double fault from Yastremska that handed the 33-year-old the double break.

With her chance to serve for the set, the fourth seed forced errors from the Ukrainian, reaching set point at 40-30. A long ball brought the 22-year-old to deuce, but the leverage remained with her opponent. Azarenka forced one final error off the Ukrainian to put the set to rest in 52 minutes. Both players combined for seven double faults, but winning points from the service was in favor of the fourth seed, who notched 68 percent from the first serve and won four of six breakpoints.

The fourth seed waited for Yastremska to return from a bathroom break, and when she did, the 33-year-old broke her to love. Azarenka backed up the break, with a service hold, and broke the 22-year-old again in the third. Through the next two games, it was Azarenka’s show on the court, taking a commanding 5-0 run while Yastremska added her seventh double fault in turn. Serving for the match, the fourth seed coasted to victory, with the Ukrainian out of sorts. Azarenka watched her opponent hit one at the net and watched it land behind the baseline ending 1 hour and 27 minutes.

After a great output in front of a new crowd, the 33-year-old looked forward to her next match against the winner between Tereza Martincova and Xinyu Wang in the round of 16.

Tatjana Maria downs Jelena Ostapenko in three set upset at Wimbledon

Tatjana Maria clenches her fist during her round of 16 match with Jelena Ostapenko at the Championships Wimbledon. 

Tatjana Maria pulled off a major victory that continued her best run at the Championships Wimbledon Sunday. As the oldest player left in the ladies' draw, the German played strong through three sets, with Jelena Ostapenko on No. 1 Court winning 5-7, 7-5, 7-5. It broke the Latvian’s 2-0 record at the All England Tennis Club in fourth-round situations.

The two met for the first time in a pivotal moment for the players, with the German making it to the round of 16. The Latvian eyed more than just another semifinal; surpassing the first week was a top priority. The 25-year-old worked hard against Begu, going three sets in that battle. Maria bested Maria Sakkari in straight sets, which stood out as an upset from the world-ranked 103rd player over the fifth. With a massive statement made, the 34-year-old prepared to give the former semifinalist a challenge.

Ostapenko opened the match with near-flawless service until her first double fault made it to the court. The 12th seed brushed it off and locked down the win, bringing Maria close to the net before she sliced a winner far from her. The German had a similar breakdown of points, but did not commit a double fault. She did well in the third, gaining breakpoints and playing every point before taking the lead.

With inconsistencies occurring from Ostapenko’s game, the German consolidated the break to take a 3-1 lead. A chance for the double break came on the horizon for Maria, who jumped ahead in the fifth. Two errors leveled the Latvian to deuce before gaining the AD point and landed a clean winner to hold. She backed up the hold with a break of Maria, leveling the score after six games, hoping to have found some momentum.

The 12th seed picked up her third win in a row, fighting Maria in a closely fought seventh game. The next two games went the way of service holds nearing the business end of the set, with Ostapenko leading 5-4. Drawing errors from the 12th seed led to a leveling of the score that took the set deep. Ostapenko made the first push to regain the lead, leaving Maria to win or swim her way to a tiebreak.

The 12th seed had to work hard to force deuce in a heavily contested game she wanted to close out. Gaining set point on a challenged call gave her confidence to stay focused and land a winner away from Maria to end the first in 39 minutes. It was a better output from the Latvian, who had just one double fault but racked 17 errors compared to Maria with nine. Having 17 winners was a major standout of the success built to move into the following set.

Ostapenko constructed a 3-0 run that did not come easy but forced errors, and good challenges left the Latvian in charge. Maria turned things around on plenty of forced errors to the 12th seed, preventing the double break. The 34-year-old nearly had a grip on the fifth game when she was up 30-0, but the 12th seed fought back on serve and cleared the way to hold. She pulled out a new racket in hopes that she could lock the last two games needed for the match.

Maria refused to give her a game from her end of the court, forcing the 25-year-old to earn it from hers. Ostapenko missed some critical points that allowed the German to break back and sit a game down. Maria constructed a serve to love in the eighth that erased Ostapenko’s gap in the set. Frustrated with the ground lost, the 12th seed forced things to turn around and play some easy points near the net to conduct a much-needed win. With the lead in hand, Maria was on the ropes to stay alive on serve in the tenth. Drawing two errors was a good start for the Latvian, who gained another one on the fourth point to reach match point. Maria saved it with a line drive winner and then watched a ball land long to force deuce. An ace on the first break gave Maria another chance to play on in the set.

The 11th was a critical one for both, but huge points went the way of Maria, who clinched it for the break. The German sealed the set with a serve to love that forced a deciding set after 41 minutes. The 34-year-old improved her offense, scoring 85 percent of points won while limiting the errors to a pair. It rattled the Latvian, who still recorded 13 winners but committed 18 errors total.

Knowing that she could have been into the quarterfinals, Ostapenko went into the third set, holding serve to start. She consolidated the hold with a break of Maria in the second, but bad returns in the third gave the German a break back. The 34-year-old consolidated to level the score at two-all, gaining leverage against Ostapenko. The Latvian stepped up in the fifth to gain back some momentum, holding serve for the lead.

Maria followed along, but the Latvian was against being even with the competition. In the seventh, Ostapenko took the win on a long return. Despite the errors that secured the hold for Ostapenko, Maria did well with the offense, scoring another serve to love that evened the score through eighth with the match closing in on its conclusion. The ninth game was a tug of war for control and the lead. After the dust settled, the German took the lead at 5-4, with balls in hand to serve for a spot in the last eight.

Ostapenko denied her that chance, playing on shots from Maria that she was comfortable handling. It was the third consecutive set they went deep into, and in the eleventh, Ostapenko gifted critical points to Maria, who took the lead once more. In her second attempt at serving for the match, the German watched Ostapenko miss an easy point leading to her breaking a racket. After getting a new one, she handed Maria a long error that put her two points away.

The 34-year-old drove a winner down the line to bring up three match points. One was saved by the 12th seed, who made the point was all hers. A crosscourt from Ostapenko landed wide, ending a two-hour and seven minute thriller.

Jelena Ostapenko rallies to win in three sets at Wimbledon

Jelena Ostapenko hits a forehand across the court to Irina Camelia Begu during their third-round match at the Championships Wimbledon. 

Irina Camelia Begu watched her good start fall completely apart at the Championships Wimbledon Friday. Jelena Ostapenko didn’t have the best attack pattern but managed a stellar service coming through 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 to make it to the fourth round for the third time in her career on Court 3 at the All England Tennis Club. The 12th seed notched 28 winners against the competition, indicating her comfort level.

The two met for the third time and first in four years. The Romanian defeated the Latvian in both meetings that occurred on clay courts. With the situation on grass, the 12th seed eyed keeping her consistent play a success and inch closer to the second week. Her defeat of Yanina Wickmayer on Tuesday indicated her strengths to be just where she wanted them. The Latvian had already notched 74 winners in her two wins so far. Despite carrying a losing record against Begu, her focus at the All England has been tough to break. The Romanian had yet to face anyone ranked but did put in the time to defeat Elisabetta Cocciaretto. With her crosshairs aimed at Ostapenko, she’d hope for a third win and a new personal best.

The 25-year-old opened with a serve to love, followed by Begu holding her end in the second game. She went on to add a break for the lead but was broken right back by Ostapenko. On serve in the fifth, she trailed due to a double fault and forced deuce to prevent Begu from getting the double. After saving a break from the Romanian, she played through three more breaks to hold.

Begu leveled the score and again consolidated with a break for a 4-3 lead. The 31-year-old rallied to two games before double faults continued to be a problem for the 12th seed, who let another game slip away. By the time Begu won the set 6-3, Ostapenko tallied six double faults and 22 unforced errors in 31 minutes.

All of her troubles turned around in a dominant fashion after Begu recorded a win during the opening game of the second set. Ostapenko answered in the second with a second serve to love and was then gifted the third game on a troubling service from Begu. Double faults rattled the Romanian to lose on serve and quickly find herself two games down. The 31-year-old tried to reel in her troubles, but two double faults made that difficult. It resulted in Ostapenko scoring the double break for a 4-1 stand.  

The 12th seed went into the sixth game feeling comfortable with her game which sat her a game away from leveling the match. Begu’s offense wasn’t in a strong position and double-faulted a fifth time before errors cost her a chance to stay alive and give Ostapenko the victory after 29 minutes. With the momentum, Ostapenko managed to speed the games along, which led to Begu struggling where her five aces in the set were negated, with zero percent return points won and just 27 from the second serve.

She took a bathroom break, leaving Ostapenko on the court to freeze up. Luckily, the break wasn’t long as the Romanian returned to begin the decider. Ostapenko rushed through the first with a strong service and linked a break of serve in the second with help from a double fault on Begu. The Latvian took a commanding 3-0 score before Begu managed her way onto the scoreboard.

The 25-year-old brushed off the missed chance to bagel her opponent and went into the fifth game with a mission. She batted off a double fault and held serve to keep her three-game lead on Begu, who had to dig in. A sliced serve came back in the shape of a line drive winning return and another pair of winners to break Begu to love. It was the perfect setup for her to serve for the match where she handled an error and watched the Romanian give her an edge. An unreturnable serve brought up match point, which came on a return into the net from the 31-year-old, ending the day on court in 1 hour and 29 minutes.

“When I was down, I felt that I didn’t play my game very well,” Ostapenko said during her on-court interview. “I was then motivated and wanted to get back into it and play my game. She started the match very well, but I didn’t bring my level.” “I started to play a little smarter and just managed to win the match.” She’ll await the winner between Maria Sakkari or Tatiana Maria in what will be a major clash on middle Sunday.

Qiang Wang flys straight to second round in three set win over Belinda Bencic

Qiang Wang serves up a shot for Belinda Bencic during their first-round match at the Championships Wimbledon. 

Belinda Bencic played hard over the span of two day, only to see her tournament cut short at the Championships Wimbledon Tuesday. A lingering injury and lots of spunk from Qiang Wang allowed the Chinese star to advance after a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 result on Court 12 at the All England Tennis Club.

The two full-time stars of the WTA tour meet in a grand slam matchup to begin their series with one another. During the grass-court season, both players put in their time, but it was Bencic going for broke in Berlin. After losing in Hertogenbosch, the Swiss star moved into Berlin and gave it a run to the final. Despite retiring due to an ankle injury to eventual champ Ons Jabeur, the 25-year-old more than prepared herself for action at SW19.

Wang went a different path, playing a bit in the ITF before giving Nottingham and Birmingham a ruse. Though they didn’t pan out, her exhibition run at Liverpool produced three match wins. With the Chinese star carrying a streak, she would hope that it could bring up a problem for the 14th seed.  

Bencic cruised to a 40-0 opening, but problems brought Wang to deuce. The unseeded player managed to bring up an AD point, only to see Bencic reel her in and lock down the service. The 30-year-old produced a perfect serve to Bencic in the second and built up a breakpoint chance in the third. Bencic got into a net battle with Wang to settle the score to deuce. Her efforts to hold serve soured on the second break with an error that clinched the lead for the Chinese star.

The 14th seed broke back immediately in the fourth, not ready to give Wang any opportunities. Instead, she took one herself with a hold of serve in the fifth and beat Wang for the double break. Despite losing ground, the Chinese star battled back and cut Bencic’s lead, notching the fourth break of serve in the set. The score was level at four-all due to Wang’s effort to consolidate on serve.

She tallied her third win in a row against Bencic, who was outplayed on serve and faced going down a set. Wang was very much in gear, but a battle from Bencic forced her to go to deuce. She put down some good winners, but a late surge in the fourth break brought up a winner that sealed the deal for her. After a 45-minute set, Wang scored 75 percent from the first serve and had 17 winners to go with it. Bencic suffered many errors, with most at the hands of Wang and some of her own doing.

As the sunlight slowly faded from the court, Wang continued her dominance. She opened the second with a break of the Swiss star and backed it up on the serve. The Chinese star took a commanding presence on the court with a 3-0 lead over the 14th seed. With the double break in hand, the 30-year-old consolidated for a 4-0 score for her eighth game in a row over the Swiss. Bencic was not in position to overturn Wang but fought against the light to stay in contention.

In the fifth, the 14th seed was up 40-15 and snapped the long winning streak of Wang on a long error. Bencic fought back in the next game, earning three break points on the Chinese player. Wang managed to save one and forced errors from the 14th seed to reach deuce. After a couple of breaks, it was Wang who worked through Bencic to reach 5-1. Sitting on the edge of an early exit, Bencic served to stay alive in the seventh and held serve. Wang earned the chance to end it herself, but errors from her side of the court gave Bencic life. With two breakpoints, the 14th seed watched a pop fly go long, earning a third straight win.

The Swiss star hung on for another game as she had Wang’s nerves rattled after the ninth, gaining momentum. The 25-year-old completed the comeback with a dominant run of winners that broke down Wang, who was panicking on the court. Bencic won 16 of the last 20 points and, on game point in the 11th, the 14th seed locked down her fifth win in a row. Making sure that she stayed in control of the score, Bencic managed to secure the 12th game that sealed her a set to the good before play suspended.    

When play resumed the next day, Wang took the lead on a break of Bencic. She backed it up on serve for the 2-0 lead and soon had a 3-1 hold after four games. She sped through the next two games made it 5-1 for the Chinese star, who opened the match the same way. Bencic served to stay alive in the competition and rallied to hold off the end of her time on the court. Wang had two chances to get it done against Bencic and brought up an attempt, but watched it go long. She didn’t let her next attempt slip away, scoring her place in the second round on a long return from Bencic ending

Jelena Ostapenko works Oceane Dodin out of Wimbledon in straight sets

Jelena Ostapenko smashes a forehand across court to Oceane Dodin in their first-round match at the Championships Wimbledon

Jelena Ostapenko got into a quick battle but held the way to win at the Championships Wimbledon Tuesday. Despite a late start to her opening round match with Oceane Dodin, the Latvian held off the competition to win 6-4, 6-4 on Court 17 at the All England Tennis Club.

Despite losing out on back-to-back titles in Eastbourne, the Latvian was more than ready to meet her French opponent for the third time. Their last match in Doha went to the former French Open champion, who wanted to take all her progress this grass-court season and return to the semis from four years ago. Dodin only played one match on grass, leaving her vulnerable against the 12th seed. Despite the lack of work on the surface, Dodin had the capabilities to put into play.

Ostapenko opened the scoring with a serve to love, followed by a break gifted by the French star herself. Dodin broke back with terrific winning returns on every shot, but tying in a hold of serve was denied by the Latvian, who took a 3-1 stance. She adjusted to her serve against the breeze on the court to consolidate and take a 4-1 lead on Dodin. The French star cracked onto the score with a hold of serve, but Ostapenko continued to climb closer to taking the set, holding her end in the seventh.

Dodin inched closer to Ostapenko in back-to-back victories that saw the 12th seed struggle with returns. A game separated the two going into the ninth and Dodin on the service. She tried to get the victory that would level the score but reached deuce on errors. She handed the Latvian four set points until a long return ended the set for the 12th seed in 34 minutes. Unforced errors rattled both players in the end with 19, but the 11 winners Ostapenko produced were enough to help her edge ahead.

The 12 seed didn’t have the room to make errors in the second set, as Dodin followed her on holding serves through four games. In the fifth, the French star broke Ostapenko before she suffered one right back. The Latvian put together a serve to love in the seventh, as an error came across the court and long of the baseline. Dodin was still on her tail as the two reached the business end of the set.

In the ninth, Ostapenko locked the hold of serve to put Dodin on the hot seat to answer. The Latvian fired back forehand winners to reach match point, leading her to victory on her second attempt. A forehand winner put a cap on a quick day for the 12th seed, who secured a spot in the second round in 1 hour and 10 minutes.