Jelena Ostapenko making another run at a major title at Wimbledon

French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko is making another run at a Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.
Jelena Ostapenko making another run at a major title at Wimbledon
Jelena Ostapenko making another run at a major title at Wimbledon /

LONDON (AP) French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko is making another run at a Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.

The 20-year-old Latvian, who won her first tour-level title at Roland Garros last month, beat fourth-seeded Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 (6) on Court 12 to advance to the quarterfinals.

Ostapenko led 5-3 in the second set, but was broken and forced into a tiebreaker. She finally won by converting her eighth match point.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and Magdalena Rybarikova also advanced to the quarterfinals.

The second Monday at Wimbledon is, arguably, the busiest day in tennis. All 16 fourth-round matches at the All England Club are played on the same day, a schedule that will produce all eight male and all eight female quarterfinalists.

Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon champion playing for the 20th time at the grass-court major, is on Centre Court against 19-year-old Ana Konjuh. Andy Murray will be second in the main stadium, followed by Roger Federer.

On No. 1 Court, Johanna Konta was up first, followed by Rafael Nadal. Novak Djokovic is third.

Ostapenko had never before been past the third round at a major tournament prior to this year's French Open. She was the first woman to win her debut tour-level title at a Grand Slam tournament since 1979.

At Wimbledon, the Latvian is into the quarterfinals for the first time. However, the 20-year-old Latvian won the girls' title at the All England Club in 2014.

Kuznetsova was the first to finish her match on Monday, beating Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-4.

The seventh-seeded Russian is a two-time Grand Slam champion who will be playing in the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the fourth time. She has never advanced past that stage.

Rybarikova, who beat Karolina Pliskova in the second round, defeated Petra Martic of Croatia 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 and advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time.

Rybarikova missed nearly seven months after last year's Wimbledon because of injuries.

---

More AP tennis coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-Tennis


Published