Wild girl Jelena faces Halep wall
PARIS: Latvian daredevil Jelena Ostapenko started tennis practising against a wall – she would be well advised to remember those early experiences when she faces master of defence Simona Halep in today’s French Open final.
The 20-year-old, aiming to become the first unseeded woman to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup since 1933, blazed her way to the final, hitting winners and errors with reckless abandon.
Third seed Halep, instead, dug herself into her second French Open final, showing the classical claycourt skills that marked her out as many people’s pre-tournament favourite.
Nowhere was her tenacity and ability to soak up punishment more apparent than in the quarter-finals when she trailed Elina Svitolina by a set and 5-1 but somehow found a way to win.
With so many big names absent from the draw this could be Halep’s best chance to land a first grand slam – but that is not all that is at stake.
The 2014 runner-up, bidding to become the first Romanian woman to win here since Virginia Ruzici in 1978, would also move top of the WTA rankings with the title.
Ostapenko is the youngest French Open finalist since Ana Ivanovic in 2007 and the first unseeded women’s finalist since Mima Jausovec lost to Chris Evert in 1983.
The stars seem aligned for the Latvian, whose style is reminiscent of that of Monica Seles. She goes for the throat on every shot, always looking for the lines.
“She is young, almost careless,” said her semi-final opponent Timea Bacsinszky. “She’s not afraid of anything. She’s a big hitter. She’s a baby. The way she hits is absolutely fascinating.”
The average speed of Ostapenko’s forehand is indeed higher than men’s world No 1 Andy Murray at this year’s tournament, a frightening prospect for most of her opponents. But Halep is the wall. The Romanian has the nagging ability to force her rivals to go for the extra shot, causing them to take even more risks.
“She puts every ball back,” her semi-final opponent, Karolina Pliskova, herself a big hitter, said. – Reuters