Ostapenko holds off Krejcikova for 2nd grass title

Tennis

BIRMINGHAM, England — Jelena Ostapenko staved off a late comeback to beat top-seeded Barbora Krejcikova in the Birmingham Classic final on Sunday to win her second title on grass.

In a battle of the top two seeds and former French Open champions, it was the second-seeded Latvian who came out on top, winning 7-6 (8), 6-4.

Krejcikova hadn’t dropped a set all week coming into the championship match. But it was Ostapenko who secured a tight opening set at her fourth opportunity in the tiebreaker.

Ostapenko then raced to a 5-1 lead to leave her on the brink of victory before Krejcikova responded by winning three games in a row.

“I was really close from 5-1 to 5-4 but then I managed somehow and I’m really, really happy about it,” said Ostapenko, who had four three-set matches before the final.

“I was fighting every match. I played five great matches, this was the only match in two sets. It’s a great preparation for Wimbledon and there’s still a couple of things I can do better.”

It was Ostapenko’s sixth singles title and her second on grass after triumphing at Eastbourne in 2021.

Articles You May Like

Alcaraz has stomach issue in loss at ATP Finals
Giants to ‘evaluate’ at QB after Jones struggles
Cowboys to place Dak on IR for hamstring injury
Jets cruise to 14-1 for best start in NHL history
NHL Power Rankings: Jets stay on top, plus every team’s points pace vs. preseason projection

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *