Tennis

Jelena Ostapenko survives thriller in Linz

February 2, 2024 12:25 pm

[Source: Reuters]

Top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia survived a three-set thriller against Clara Tauson, winning 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7) to advance to the quarterfinals of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz.

Tauson had a 12-6 advantage in aces and converted eight of her 11 break points to keep Ostapenko on her toes. Ostapenko trailed 5-3 in the third set and faced match point in the ninth game before charging back to force a tiebreaker, where she finally prevailed on her third match point.

Russian fifth seed Anastasia Potapova also survived two match points in her second-set tiebreaker against Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto before winning 6-2, 6-7 (9), 7-5.

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No. 3 seed Donna Vekic of Croatia had a much easier time dispatching Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 6-1, 6-1. No. 4 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium also cruised, 6-1, 6-3, over Italian Lucia Bronzetti, while France’s Clara Burel beat Czech opponent Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

Katie Volynets rallied to upset fourth-seeded Tatjana Maria of Germany 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in the second round in Hua Hin.

Maria had a 7-0 edge in aces but also committed seven double faults. Volynets capitalized, breaking Maria’s serve six times.

Chinese No. 2 seed Lin Zhu beat Czech opponent Linda Fruhvirtova 6-2, 6-2, while countrywoman Yafan Wang upset eighth seed Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-4. Australia’s Arina Rodionova was a 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 winner over China’s Zhuoxuan Bai.