By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Challenges swirled all around Jelena Ostapenko.
The sixth seed responded by belting all her problems away.
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Reigning Roland Garros champion Ostapenko hammered through a tricky breeze and tenacious Elina Svitolina, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), charging into her first semifinal of the season at the Miami Open.
"I mean, before the match I knew that I have to be very aggressive, and when I had a chance, I was going for it," Ostapenko said. "Of course I was missing some because I was trying to play aggressive the whole match, but I think my winners are more than the unforced errors."
A match of Top 5 players presented a classic contrast between Svitolina’s unerring baseline consistency and Ostapenko’s audacious strikes. Rallies played amid unpredictable wind gusts made changing direction down the line a risky proposition.
Risk never frightened Ostapenko, who blasted a series of winners in the tie break to raise her record to 8-7 on the season reaching her first semifinal since Beijing last October.
“(My coach told me) keep playing aggressive, just keep going for the shots even if you are missing you have to play aggressive,” Ostapenko told ESPN’s Rennae Stubbs afterward. “I'm trying to just improve. I’m just trying to fight for every point and be consistent. I think I'm getting there in my form.”
The 20-year-old Latvian will face either three-time Miami Open champion Venus Williams or 93rd-ranked American qualifier Danielle Collins for a spot in the final.
Ostapenko has won four consecutive tie breaks in the tournament, including a 7-6 (4), 6-3, conquest of Petra Kvitova in the round of 16, and her relaxed aggression in tie break pressure today carried her through to the final four.
Blasting her backhand, Ostapenko broke at love to open the match, winning seven straight points on Svitolina's serve at the outset. Ostapenko burst out to a 3-1 lead before Svitolina broke back in the sixth game.
Taking a medical timeout for an apparent upset stomach, Svitolina defended diligently in an effort to extend points and draw errors.
"Put some pressure on, hit it and come in if you need to," hitting partner Andrew Bettles urged Svitolina during a coaching consultation. "Take it on. Take some risks. Get those feet moving and hands quick."
Standing her ground, Svitolina rallied from 3-5 down bleeding four errors from Ostapenko breaking back for 5-all.
The backhand is Ostapenko's signature shot. she blasted her seventh backhand winner for a 2-0 tie break lead.
Attacking a mid-court forehand, Ostapenko cranked a forehand into the corner for 5-3. Svitolina tried a drop volley that sat up. Ostapenko answered with a forehand pass and clenched fist for three set points at the 50-minute mark.
When Svitolina sailed a backhand long, Ostapenko had the set.
The second set popped with six service breaks as neither woman could gain separation.
Svitolina slid a forehand return winner down the line to open the tie break.
Then Ostapenko lowered the boom. Punishing a series of heavy forehands reeled off six of the next seven points.
Banging out an error, Ostapenko earned four match points.
Closure was complicated. Svitolina saved the first match point with a backhand down the line. A jittery Ostapenko forced two forehands try to end points prematurely bringing up her fourth match point.
The sixth seed leaned into her best shot, the backhand, blasting it crosscourt to close.
Reconnecting with her inner terminator has powered Ostapenko into the final four.
"I think maybe the other tournaments I was trying to, like, play more balls in the court and without any aggressivity," Ostapenko said. "But now I think I really go for the shot when I need to and I'm not afraid to risk."