By Alberto Amalfi | Thursday, October 17, 2019
Jelena Ostapenko roared back bouncing top-seeded Elise Mertens out of Luxembourg 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, joining Olympic gold-medal champion Monica Puig in the quarterfinals.
Photo credit: WTA Linz Facebook
A new coach and a renewed commitment to baseline aggression are sparking Jelena Ostapenko's fall rise.
Ostapenko roared back to bounce top-seeded Elise Mertens out of Luxembourg 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Del Potro: Top 10 Days Are Done
It was Ostapenko's sixth win in her last seven matches.
The 22-year-old Latvian has been working with 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli on a trial coaching basis during the recent European indoor season.
Ostapenko powered to the Linz final last week losing to 15-year-old phenom Coco Gauff.
The 2017 Roland Garros champion beat Gauff's doubles partner, Caty McNally, in her Luxembourg opener and broke serve twice in the second and third sets to topple US Open doubles champion Mertens today.
Ostapenko will play German qualifier Antonia Lottner for a place in the semifinals. Lottner led compatriot Andrea Petkovic 6-1 when the veteran retired.
Earlier, Monica Puig subdued Kristyna Pliskova 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6) in a match that featured just one service break.
Olympic gold medal champion Puig will play either second-seeded Julia Goerges or Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the quarterfinals.