“With me, it’s never boring on the court,” Jelena Ostapenko vows to continue thrilling fans after memorable victory over Coco Gauff at Australian Open 2023
Jelena Ostapenko stormed into the quarterfinals of Australian Open 2023 with a victory over Coco Gauff.
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Jelena Ostapenko
Jelena Ostapenko cruised into her first ever quarterfinals of the Australian Open, after a memorable victory over Coco Gauff on Sunday. The Latvian tennis star outplayed the seventh seed, who was among the top contenders to claim the title in Melbourne this time around. The 2017 French Open champion will now face Elena Rybakina for a spot in the last four on Tuesday.
Apart from her sensational quality on court, the 25-year-old never fails to entertain the fans. Speaking after her fourth round victory over Coco Gauff, Jelena Ostapenko stated that she hopes to continue entertaining the fans in the Melbourne Park in the coming week. “With me, it’s never boring on the court, so I think that’s what the fans like,” she said.
Jelena Ostapenko has a 2-0 lead in the head-to-head record against her quarterfinal opponent, Elena Rybakina. She will certainly back her chances against the Wimbledon 2022 Women’s Singles champion, who is yet to even take her set off her.
“I love to play on the big courts, so I really enjoy it and with a lot of fans. With the good players I think I have nothing to lose, and I’ll just enjoy it as much as possible. It’s great to be in the quarterfinals. If I play my game, I think I have all the chances,” said Ostapenko.
Related: Felix Auger-Aliassime is disappointed with his performance in the Australian Open
“I was working a lot on my movement and also the fitness” : Jelena Ostapenko
Jelena Ostapenko revealed that she was working on her footwork during the pre-season, which has really benefitted her game. The Latvian stated that she was also moving faster on court, which helps her in hitting the ball earlier than usual.
“Before, I was still hitting the ball hard, but I was not really stepping in the court. Now I feel like I’m stepping much better in the court and taking the ball earlier, so I take time away from the opponents, which makes me a more dangerous player. I was working a lot on my movement and also the fitness and kind of everything,” Ostapenko added.
Jelena Ostapenko is one of the most aggressive players on the women’s tour, given the intensity with which she strikes the ball. However, the 25-year-old admitted that she needed to find a balance between being too aggressive and not too aggressive. Instead of trying to end points in a frenzy, the French Open 2017 champion wants to indulge herself in rallies before playing aggressive shots.
“If you feel really good, you can always step on the court and play well. But if you really have to play a little bit more rallies to get the points and then get into the game, then you can start to be aggressive,” she continued.
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Nirmit Mehta
(2425 Articles Published)