In the Adelaide International final on Saturday, Jelena Ostapenko defeated world No 15 Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-2 to win her seventh career championship and secure a return to the top ten of the WTA Rankings.
Ostapenko has now won four hard-court singles titles, but this is her first since her 2022 Dubai triumph and comes just in time to set her potential Australian Open opponents on edge.
On Monday, Ostapenko will make her way back into the Top 10 for the first time in more than five years. September 2018 last saw the 2017 Roland Garros winner placed inside the Top 10.
The Latvian player, 26, has had a strong start to the 2024 campaign. She advanced tto the Brisbane quarterfinals and won the doubles championship with Lyudmyla Kichenok to start the year. Seeded sixth in Adelaide, Ostapenko fought through a challenging draw to overcome Sorana Cirstea, Caroline Garcia, Marta Kostyuk, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Kasatkina. The run has certainly set her up as someone who will be tough to face at the Australian Open.
Ostapenko had a 5-2 head-to-head lead before the final, but Kasatkina had prevailed in their lone prior hard-court encounter. That occurred in the third round of the 2017 US Open more than six years ago and didn’t seem to be a factor in this contest at all with Ostapenko playing with certainty, power and poise.
Kasatkina has found success on Adelaide’s faster courts the past two years; she was also a finalist the year before. This year, she was fortunate to have back-to-back victories by walkovers in the quarterfinals and semifinals, with the withdrawals of No 2 seed Jessica Pegula and Laura Siegemund before their respective matches.
Ostapenko was put to the test early in the competition as he had to defeat Cirstea and Garcia in back-to-back three-set victories. Ostapenko’s goal, though, has remained to bring her destructive and precise game to bear on her opponents. Kasatkina’s cunning and courtship were surpassed by Ostapenko’s baseline power in a striking stylistic difference.
The Latvian felt afterwards that Kasatkina’s easy path to the final hurt her, especially coming this early in the season.
“Sometimes it’s just better to get matches and be in the rhythm of matches,” said Ostapenko. “She didn’t play for two days so sometimes when you are in the tournament it’s maybe also a disadvantage. It just depends on every player individually.”
Ostapenko is delighted with the progress she has made in her game recently and heads into the Australian Open in great form.
“I honestly was working on this slice and I am working on this slice shot a lot in practice,” she said.
“I’m really happy that it helped me and worked in a deciding moment. I think it was a great shot.
“I’m playing aggressive and I feel like I’m playing more consistent and I’m more mature as a player. It’s just the beginning of the year but I will work harder to be back in the top 10 and top five and stay there.”
Ostapenko would be forgiven for having one eye on her Australian Open first round clash with home hope Kim Birrell but she wants to savour what is a breakthrough title for her.
“I’m not trying to put any pressure on myself and not play with any expectations, just take one match at a time,” Ostapenko said in anticipation of the Australian Open.
“I still want to enjoy this victory. It’s going to be short, but I want to enjoy it a few days and when I get to Melbourne, I will be ready for the tournament.”
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