Jelena Ostapenko at her best again? A red-hot run leads to a Swiatek battle
WTA
Jelena Ostapenko seems to be gradually regaining her best form after reaching the semifinals of the Qatar Open. The Latvian defeated Ons Jabeur this time and has shown an impressive level. Her next challenge will be against the three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek, against whom she leads the head-to-head 4-0.
Ostapenko has now secured 15 wins at the Qatar Open, likely the WTA 1000 event where she has achieved the best results, with a final in 2016—during her very first main draw appearance in a tournament of this category—and two semifinals (2022, 2025). No other event has seen her reach the semifinals three times.
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The Latvian broke into the top 5 at just 20 years old in 2017—the year she won the French Open—and finished the season ranked No. 7. Since then, she has claimed several titles and consistently advanced in the biggest tournaments. She has secured 22 wins against top-10 players, including 12 against the top 5.
‘Penko’ has already guaranteed a seven-spot jump in the rankings, returning to the top 30 in the live rankings. The 27-year-old is now preparing to face Swiatek in pursuit of a spot in the final—despite the Pole’s dominance on tour, Ostapenko remains undefeated in their four encounters. No other player on the WTA Tour has such a lopsided record against Swiatek.
This week, she has claimed four consecutive victories over Aoi Ito (No. 120), Liudmila Samsonova (No. 23), Jasmine Paolini (No. 4), and Ons Jabeur (No. 35). The question now is whether Ostapenko can keep up the momentum and secure a place in the Doha Open final.
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mandoist11-02-2025 - Hard to believe Emma "understands" all that much about the rigors of a prioritized Life in tennis.mandoist11-02-2025
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- This is just getting beyond ridiculous!! Not to mention unsportsmanlike and unfair to serious up & coming contenders.mandoist06-02-2025
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- It sounds seriously absurd that in Davis Cup, (unlike Grand Slams such as the Aus Open), medical time outs off court with the medical staff are not allowed?? I mean, if this was an Aus Open match, and the same thing happened to Gurin then, he would have been able to go off court for official medical time out and make an informed decision whether to resume the match or retire. How come such conditions do not apply in Davis Cup?? I mean, there with Davis Cup, it is even more like a soccer match or basketball game in that teams are playing. And so as with those, it ought to be the case in tennis that if a player needs serious medical time out, then one of the other team mates ought to substitute and each team needs to have stand-ins or understudies in case substitution is needed which will be rare but as we can see here, this kind of circumstance fits. But even if the teams do not go down the road of subbing other team mates in, in case of a health issue like the one which played out here, at least, as in the Aus Open and other Grand Slams, there ought to be time-outs with the health professionals and at the conclusion of these time-outs, the particular decision that has been reached between them and the player needs to be taken on board by the umpire. PERIOD.
Sueiyin04-02-2025
