PARIS (France): More than three years on from that most unlikely of triumphs, Jelena Ostapenko showed a new-found maturity as she dismantled No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova with a commanding 6-4, 6-2 victory on Thursday.
“I was just trying to play my game, but I knew I have to return well today because she obviously has one of the best serves on tour,” Ostapenko said. “I think I was returning very well today. Also, I had to hold my serve, which I did pretty good, just once in the first set I didn’t hold my serve.
“But I knew I have to do these things well and just try to maybe put as many balls as I can back and to make the points longer and if I have a chance just to go for it. Also, to use some drop shots, because it’s a very good shot in these conditions.”
Against Pliskova, she still managed 27 winners but she made just 18 unforced errors.
In the past three years, with the exception of a semi-final run at Wimbledon in 2018, Ostapenko has not made it past the third round of a slam, losing in the first round on four occasions.
With more structure to her game, she looks a real threat again. Is she better now than she was in 2017?
“I mean, it depends,” she said. “I think I’m similar as I was playing. It’s hard to compare because that was three years ago and I was fearless, nobody really knew me but now players get to know me more.
“Obviously they know me already. They know how I can play. They know how to play against me. So I try to prepare very well for every match.” (Source: RolandGarros.com)
