- Latvian eventually finds best form to earn 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory
- Ostapenko on best grand slam run since Wimbledon 2018
During the quiet weeks of warmup tournaments leading up to Wimbledon, the essence of Jelena Ostapenko was unleashed in full. For an hour of her opening-round encounter against Canada’s Rebecca Marino in Birmingham, she was on fire, winners searing from her racket as she swiftly built a 6-2, 5-1 lead.
But just as she seemed to be on the way to an easy victory, her level fell off. She found herself in a tussle, losing six games in a row before finally recovering to edge out the victory in three sets. Almost any player would have been unhappy with the collapse, but even in their frustration most people tend to deliver their thoughts with some level of tact. That is not Ostapenko’s style.