Unseeded Jelena Ostapenko is into the French Open final, unfazed by the occasion

Jelena Ostapenko hasn't won a WTA title, but she will play for a Grand Slam title at the French Open on Saturday.
Unseeded Jelena Ostapenko is into the French Open final, unfazed by the occasion
Unseeded Jelena Ostapenko is into the French Open final, unfazed by the occasion /

One of the great myths of tennis—maybe of sports—states that experience is automatically a benefit. Sometimes the player who recognizes the weight of the occasion is duly burdened by it. And the newcomer swinging away with reckless abandon is at an advantage. Such was the case in the first women's semifinal on Thursday.

Jelena Ostapenko may not have won a title of any size in professional tennis. But she plays aggressive go-for-broke tennis and, having just turned 20 on Thursday, goes about her business as though she's playing with house money. Her high-risk/high reward game yielded the latter, as she beat Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland in three sets, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3. Ostapenko cracked 50 winners and recovered nicely after dropping the second set.

So far the decade has treated her well. Imagine if Ostapenko's first pro tennis title is a French Open crown? She's one match from it and hardly seems flustered by the possibility.

Snapshots from the semifinals

French Open 2017 semifinals

Rafael Nadal

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Rafael Nadal

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Dominic Thiem

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Rafael Nadal

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images
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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Stan Wawrinka

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Rafael Nadal

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Stan Wawrinka

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Dominic Thiem

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Stan Wawrinka

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images
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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Rafael Nadal

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Stan Wawrinka

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Jelena Ostapenko

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Stan Wawrinka

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Andy Murray

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Timea Bacsinszky

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Jelena Ostapenko

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Timea Bacsinszky

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Timea Bacsinszky

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Jelena Ostapenko

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Jelena Ostapenko

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Jelena Ostapenko

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Timea Bacsinszky, Jelena Ostapenko

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Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Jelena Ostapenko

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Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Simona Halep

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Adam Pretty/Getty Images
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Adam Pretty/Getty Images
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Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Simona Halep

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Simona Halep

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

Simona Halep

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Simona Halep

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Julian Finney/Getty Images
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CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images

Simona Halep

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CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images
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CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images

Published
Jon Wertheim
JON WERTHEIM

Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and has been part of the full-time SI writing staff since 1997, largely focusing on the tennis beat , sports business and social issues, and enterprise journalism. In addition to his work at SI, he is a correspondent for "60 Minutes" and a commentator for The Tennis Channel. He has authored 11 books and has been honored with two Emmys, numerous writing and investigative journalism awards, and the Eugene Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Wertheim is a longtime member of the New York Bar Association (retired), the International Tennis Writers Association and the Writers Guild of America. He has a bachelor's in history from Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in New York City with his wife, who is a divorce mediator and adjunct law professor. They have two children.