Qatar Open: Ostapenko Dominates Paolini in Doha for 12th Top 5 Victory
Click to start listening
Synopsis
In a stunning performance at the Qatar Open, <b>Jelena Ostapenko</b> claimed her first Top-10 win since 2023, defeating <b>Jasmine Paolini</b> with ease. The Latvian star came back from a 2-0 deficit in the second set to finish the match in just 63 minutes.
Key Takeaways
- Ostapenko achieved her 12th career Top 5 win.
- She showed resilience after trailing in the second set.
- Her serving was exceptional, with nine aces.
- Ostapenko has a strong history in Doha.
- She faced injury setbacks but is returning to form.
Doha, Feb 12 (NationPress) Former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko achieved her first Top-10 victory since 2023 with a decisive 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 4 seed Jasmine Paolini from Italy during a women's singles third-round match at the Qatar Open on Wednesday. The 27-year-old Latvian found herself trailing 2-0 in the second set but quickly turned the match around, winning the final six games to secure the victory in just 63 minutes.
In other results from the WTA 1000 event, American sixth seed Jessica Pegula triumphed over 10th seed Daria Kasatkina with a score of 6-3, 7-5, while fifth seed Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan progressed with a 7-6(1), 6-2 victory against Rebecca Sramkova.
Having recorded back-to-back wins this week for the first time since her quarterfinal appearance at last year's Wimbledon, Ostapenko has now achieved her 12th career victory against Top 5 players.
Her last encounter with a Top 10 opponent was during the 2023 Beijing third round, where she defeated Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-2. She is set to face either Ons Jabeur or wildcard Sofia Kenin in the next round. Currently, only two Top 5 seeds remain in the Doha tournament: No. 2 Iga Swiatek and No. 5 Elena Rybakina, last year’s finalists, are on a path toward a potential quarterfinal showdown. Below are the key insights from Ostapenko’s remarkable win.
Ostapenko boasts a commendable record in Doha. Back in 2016, as an 18-year-old ranked No. 88, she reached her first WTA Tour final here; she returned to the semifinals in 2022. Four of her 22 career wins against Top 10 players have occurred on these courts, including an impressive 6-2, 6-2 victory over Garbiñe Muguruza in 2022, where Ostapenko registered 39 winners in just 16 games.
While Ostapenko's tally of 22 winners (equaling her 22 unforced errors) didn’t quite reach the 39 seen in the match against Muguruza, it was sufficient to overcome Paolini, who could only manage nine. Along with the impressive display of clean return winners that fans are accustomed to from Ostapenko, her serving was exceptional as well: she delivered nine aces and only lost seven points on her first serve.
At this time last year, Ostapenko had just made her return to the Top 10 after a five-year hiatus. However, she is in Doha as the unseeded World No. 37, having fallen out of the Top 30 for the first time since 2021.
After reaching her sixth Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon last year, she struggled to secure back-to-back victories for seven months. This span included a two-month injury layoff: Ostapenko concluded her 2024 singles season in September and missed the entire Asian swing due to an abdominal injury.
