US Open 2023: Jelena Ostapenko knocks defending champion Iga Swiatek out

Jelena Ostapenko pulled off a massive upset after she knocked World No.1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek out of the US Open 2023 women’s singles. Ostapenko rallied back to win the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Ostapenko, who is looking to win her second Grand Slam after the French Open in 2017, advanced to her maiden US Open quarters. The 26-year-old is now scheduled to lock horns with USA’s Coco Gauff, who got the better of Caroline Wozniacki in a thrilling three-setter earlier on Sunday.

Ostapenko now has a 4-0 lead over Swiatek in the head-to-head count after wins in 2019 (Birmingham), 2021 (Indian Wells), 2022 (Dubai) and 2023 (US Open).

OSTAPENKO DOMINATES SWIATEK

In the first set, Ostapenko earned an early break, but Swiatek returned the favour in the very next game. At 4-2, Swiatek earned another break and that turned out to be the deciding factor in the context of the set.

From the second set onwards, Ostapenko started getting the better of Swiatek. She racked up an early break to put her Polish opponent under immense pressure. Swiatek broke back to make it 3-4 and somehow stayed alive in the set. But Swiatek’s joy was shortlived as Ostapenko got the break back and won the set in 41 minutes.

The third set was a completely one-sided affair in favour of Ostapenko. She earned a double break to go 5-0 up. Swiatek earned a break of serve to keep herself alive, but her opponent broke her serve to come up trumps. The fact that Ostapenko finished the match with a forehand winner showed how dominating she was.

Ostapenko smashed 30 winners, 12 more than Swiatek to make all the difference. It now remains to be seen if Ostapenko can carry her form against Gauff, who looked a tad nervous in her Round of 16 match against Caroline Wozniacki.