Czech young rising star #MarketaVondrousova claimed her second consecutive win over former top-five player #JelenaOstapenko in as many weeks, this time ousting the Latvian in the second round of the 2019 #MiamiOpen in straight sets.
The pair had just met in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open — the first stretch of the March tennis paradise in the States, and it was Vondrousova who triumphed in three sets to ultimately reach the quarterfinals for the first time in her career.
Coincidentally, they are slated to meet in the second round here in Miami as well, with Vondrousova defeating compatriot Barbora Strycova in the opening round to set up this blockbuster meeting with Ostapenko, who was determined to exact revenge this time around.
Ostapenko is the defending finalist here in Miami and is originally projected to meet Sloane Stephens in the fourth round, a rematch of last year’s final. However, currently ranked 23rd, the loss meant that the Latvian will fall out of the top-30 for the first time since May 2017, when she had not won her maiden Major trophy.
It is a series of poor results for Ostapenko, who amassed a disappointing 3-8 win-loss record this season as this was her fifth opening-round loss in 2019. Whereas, it is another strong performance from Vondrousova, who had already reached the final in Budapest and reaching the last eight in Indian Wells.
Vondrousova will face 16th seed Elise Mertens with defending champion Sloane Stephens potentially awaiting in the fourth round.
Vondrousova strings together a spectacular comeback
After a quick exchange of holds, it was Vondrousova who earned the first real opportunity to have the first breakthrough in the third game. However, despite owning a 0-40 lead, she was unable to convert her chances as Ostapenko raised her level during the crucial moments — producing the perfect kick serve followed by a pinpoint lob before firing a strong backhand winner to fend off all three break points. A one-two punch then helped the Latvian to save a fourth break point, ultimately holding her nerves to grab the narrow hold.
Vondrousova would rue her missed opportunities as Ostapenko claimed all the big points. An unfortunate double-fault from the Czech youngster saw her getting broken and the Latvian eventually consolidated the break for a commanding 4-1 lead despite facing some early troubles.
All we needed was a changeover and Ostapenko completely lost her rhythm as Vondrousova gained the momentum on her side; with the Latvian netting a couple of shots to hand the break straight back. However, the 19-year-old was unable to hold her ground as some fantastic hitting from Ostapenko saw her retrieving from a 40-0 deficit to regain the lead, firing some spectacular winners before Vondrousova threw in yet another double-fault on break point.
Serving for the first set at 5-3 up, Ostapenko completely lost the plot as she could not send a decent shot into the court from 40-15, blowing two set points and allowing Vondrousova to remain in contention. This time, the world number 59 managed to consolidate the break and not only that, because she went on a rampage and rattled off 12 of the last 15 points to take the opening set 7-5.
Vondrousova seals the straight-sets win
After losing that huge lead in the first set, Ostapenko looked out-of-sorts and grew increasingly frustrated with herself after every unforced error committed. And that’s a hell load of frustration there. She wasted three game points in the opening game and her rout continued as Vondrousova battled back to break serve and start the second set in the best possible way. As per how tennis works, when there is delight on Vondrousova’s side of the court, Ostapenko’s camp was full of frustration.
A fifth successive break of the Ostapenko serve followed for Vondrousova, who led by a set and a double break which effectively sealed the win. Looking under the weather, Ostapenko called for the trainer during the changeover and had her blood pressure measured although that did not help much as Vondrousova stood firm and consolidated for a 4-0 lead.
After what felt like an eternity, Ostapenko stopped the bleeding as she ended Vondrousova’s streak at eight consecutive games with a terrific service hold. Hoping that it could boost her spirits and embark the spark within her, it turned out to be just a consolation hold as the Czech youngster ultimately proceeded to claim the win in straight sets after just an hour and 26 minutes of action.
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