Jelena Ostapenko stunned Iga Swiatek at the Qatar Open, with the Latvian claiming after her win that she \u201cknows how to beat\u201d the world No. 2.<\/p>\n
Ostapenko\u2019s victory extended her head-to-head advantage over Swiatek to 5-0, showcasing that the 2017 Roland Garros champion has found a \u2018kryptonite\u2019 for the Polish player\u2014being the only one to defeat Swiatek five times.<\/p>\n
Swiatek was broken five times in the match and won just 46% of points on her first serve, compared to Ostapenko\u2019s 73%. The Polish star has not won a title since last year\u2019s Roland Garros and entered the Doha tournament with a 15-match winning streak.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stepped on court today confident I could beat her,\u201d Ostapenko said. \u201cWe\u2019ve played a lot of matches, and I know how to play her game. I stayed focused on myself and knew exactly what I had to do. I\u2019m really pleased with how I\u2019ve managed my emotions this week. I\u2019m just so happy to be in the finals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ostapenko made the Doha final in 2016 but lost to Carla Suarez Navarro. She reflected, \u201cThis court has special energy, and it\u2019s always supported me. Everything started for me here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hosts are great, the atmosphere, the fans\u2014everything is amazing. The facilities are even better now. I\u2019m just really pleased to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the match, Swiatek acknowledged Ostapenko\u2019s past victories, saying she was prepared for a tough challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of the head-to-head record, I can play without expectations, focus on my work, and maybe change something to finally win against her,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s always been a tough opponent and has played amazing against me. I\u2019ll have another chance and try to use it.”<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery tournament has its own conditions, and I\u2019ll see what she brings if she wins against Ons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Swiatek\u2019s cautious optimism did not result in her first win over Ostapenko. Given the manner of the latest loss, Ostapenko will likely hold the upper hand when they next meet.<\/p>\n
Ostapenko will compete in her third WTA 1000 final against Amanda Anisimova in the Qatar Open on Saturday, heading into the match with a 1-0 head-to-head record over her opponent. Their only previous meeting in Doha in 2022 saw Ostapenko win in three sets. The winner of the match will also gain 1,000 ranking points, providing a significant boost when the updated WTA Rankings are revealed on Monday.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jelena Ostapenko stunned Iga Swiatek at the Qatar Open, with the Latvian claiming after her win that she \u201cknows how to beat\u201d the world No. 2. Ostapenko\u2019s victory extended her head-to-head advantage over Swiatek to 5-0, showcasing that the 2017 Roland Garros champion has found a \u2018kryptonite\u2019 for the Polish player\u2014being the only one to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2686],"tags":[2685],"class_list":["post-25699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis","tag-jelena-ostapenko"],"yoast_head":"\n