Jelena Ostapenko, 17th in the world, dominated Sunday in Melbourne the American Coco Gauff (7th) 7-5, 6-3 and will play her first quarter-final of the Australian Open against the Kazakh Elena Rybakina (25th).
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Australian Open: ladies schedule and results
Australian Open: men's schedule and results
The Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, after a fiery match (30 winning shots), summed up: “
I had nothing to lose.
I had come to play each point, to have fun.
I always wanted to stay positive, I had to stay inhabited by the desire to beat her and I had it.
Even if I missed a shot, I had to keep the same path, put her under pressure and she cracked
.
Ostapenko, champion at Roland-Garros in 2017, had never passed the third round in the Australian Major.
For Ostapenko, it's a comeback.
The surprise winner of Roland-Garros 2017 had not reached a Grand Slam quarter-final since 2018, at Wimbledon.