Tennis: Ostapenko, Bertens Survive Early Scares in Doha

Former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko battled through strong winds and a gritty challenge from Mihaela Buzarnescu to secure a 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 win in the first round of the Qatar Open on Tuesday. In a match marked by erratic play and blustery conditions, both aggressive baseliners posted more unforced errors than winners, but it was the Latvian who showed superior composure to advance.

Ostapenko, who suffered an early exit to Buzarnescu in Doha 12 months ago, exacted her revenge by capitalizing on her opponent’s struggles with 13 double faults. The 2016 Doha runner-up created a staggering 20 break point opportunities, ultimately converting seven to clinch the victory in one hour and 45 minutes.

After a dominant opening set, Ostapenko allowed the Romanian to pull even in the second. But the 2017 French Open winner reclaimed control by fending off four break points in the first game of the final set. A costly 12th double fault from Buzarnescu handed Ostapenko a crucial 3-1 lead, and the Latvian stormed to victory with a flurry of forehand winners.

Looking ahead to a challenging second-round clash against world number seven Elina Svitolina, Ostapenko remarked: “I hope the wind is not going to be the same tomorrow as it was today because it was very tough to play. Otherwise, I mean, (Svitolina’s) a very consistent player. I will have to play on a very high level to beat her, of course.”

Elsewhere, fifth seed Kiki Bertens staged an impressive comeback to beat Italian Camila Giorgi in a tense three-set thriller, 0-6, 7-6(7), 6-4. After a disastrous opening set, Bertens dug deep, using her big first serve—winning 80 percent of her first-serve points in the final set—to edge the Italian, who fired 35 winners but faltered at key moments. Bertens will now face 2016 Doha champion Carla Suarez Navarro in the next round.

In a notable upset, Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova, seeded seventh, crashed out in the first round, falling 7-6(5), 6-4 to Russian qualifier Anna Blinkova. The 20-year-old Blinkova produced a career-best performance to register her third top-30 win, with her previous two also coming in Doha last year.

Earlier in the day, Caroline Wozniacki withdrew from the tournament due to a viral illness. The former world number one was replaced in the main draw by Australian Sam Stosur, who entered as a lucky loser but was eliminated in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, by Czech qualifier Karolina Muchova.

Team V.DIR-EM-UAE