Latvian tennis star Jelena Ostapenko is having a good run at the US Open. She came back hard after losing the opening set against Bernarda Pera and eventually stamped her authority. However, there was a moment of drama, as Jelena had to shoo away a disruptive fan from the stands.
Ostapenko did not start the match well, losing the first set 6-4 to Pera. But the former French Open champion dug in deep and recovered well in the next set, winning it 6-3. The deciding set turned out to be a one-sided contest, but not before a fan decided to be a thorn in her side.
Ostapenko was leading 4-1 in the deciding set and had to save five break points before she won the game. During this tense period, a particular fan was loudly cheering for Pera. As soon as Jelena won the game, she shooed the fan away from the stands, which earned her loud cheers.
😭😭😭😭😂😂😂
Ostapenko sending a man out of the stadium during play pic.twitter.com/EelkJrcWel
— Olly 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) September 1, 2023
It was not just the crowd at Flushing Meadows that cheered for Ostapenko though. The Latvian found a lot of support from tennis fans online. A user joked, “She is out of control!!” Another fan shared a screencap from one of her interviews in 2018, stating she is just doing her duty.
She is out of control!!
— C.J. Calvert (@GCCJ1) September 2, 2023
She just doing her duty pic.twitter.com/6ek1TcuSwP
— Rio 🟦👍 (@impetigorx) September 1, 2023
This is not the first time Ostapenko has stood her ground. She stared down Elena Rybakina’s coach Stefano Vukov at the Cincinnati Open in August.
Jelena Ostapenko eventually won the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 against Pera. She closed out the opening week with a victory and will take on the current world number one Iga Swiatek in the Round of 16.
Jelena Ostapenko will lock horns with Iga Swiatek next
The anticipation around Ostapenko’s matchup with Swiatek is sky-high. Fans expect a cracker of a match, as the two Grand Slam champions will clash on Sunday.
Besides being the top-ranked player in the tournament, Swiatek is also the defending champion. She will go hard at Ostapenko, despite the Latvian having a hundred percent success rate against Iga.
Quarterfinals are on the line! pic.twitter.com/7ubC5Ax8Ms
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2023
Swiatek herself has cruised through the rounds so far, without dropping a set in the three matches she played this week. Ostapenko was the last player to defeat Swiatek before she began her unbeaten streak of 37 matches so far.
Swiatek defeated her best friend Kaja Juvan in under 60 minutes, dishing out a bagel in the opening set. She did not face much resistance in the second set either, winning the match 6-0, 6-1.
This matchup is going to be memorable despite the outcome, but Swiatek will hope to change the stats in her favor. The duo will play at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday.