China Open 2019: Katerina Siniakova puts up a strong performance to knock out Jelena Ostapenko

Katerina Siniakova in action against Jelena Ostapenko at the 2019 China Open
Katerina Siniakova in action against Jelena Ostapenko at the 2019 China Open

Katerina Siniakova put up a brilliant display at the China Open on Monday to come through her second round match. The Czech's attacking game was working spectacularly while Jelena Ostapenko kept struggling before going down 2-6, 1-6 at the National Tennis Center in Beijing.

The two met for the first time on the WTA Tour after a fabulous start to their respective campaigns at this tournament. While the Czech scored a comfortable win in straight sets against China’s Xiyu Wang, Ostapenko edged the second seed Karolina Pliskova in three gruelling sets.

The Latvian started the second-round clash with a comfortable service game, drawing errors from the World No. 47 to take a 1-0 lead. The Czech had a tough time dealing with her opponent’s power but kept her rooted to the baseline to bag her service game.

The first double fault from Ostapenko opened the door for the 23-year-old to earn a break of serve, which came on a forehand from the World No. 73that landed into the net. The former French Open champion called for her coach to try and remedy the situation quickly. A hold for Siniakova to consolidate the break made it an uphill situation for the Latvian.

Siniakova didn’t give Ostapenko much of a choice as she increased the gap further with a double break in hand that put her at a 5-1 advantage. The Latvian got into trouble quickly but suddenly made a comeback that thrilled fans. Saving three break points, the 22-year-old forced deuce and managed to hold her serve to survive for the moment.

The Czech did not waste any more time to get the job done and she quickly reached set point on serve to wrap up the first set in 34 minutes.

With the Latvian showing vulnerabilities, Siniakova opened the second set with a break that her opponent conceded with a fourth double fault. It led to more trouble for the former Roland Garros winner that resulted in Siniakova comfortably holding serve while working out a double break that soon led to a 4-0 run.

A much-needed hold of serve arrived for Ostapenko in the fifth game but gaining a break was not in the cards for her. A seventh double fault from her racquet ended her campaign at the China Open in 62 minutes.