Former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko wasn’t happy with tennis fans and she let them hear about it.
In a fourth-round match at the Miami Open, the Latvian star grew increasingly frustrated with how the crowd was behaving.
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Ostapenko took care of business against 13th seeded Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia who well and truly had the crowd behind her.
Throughout the match the crowd loudly cheered for the Brazilian while cheering every mistake Ostapenko made. She said the crowds animosity towards her only fuelled her to victory.
“I’m really happy today to win,” she said.
“Of course the crowd was mostly against me. A little bit disrespectful, but thanks guys for those who were supporting me.
“I felt like some moments I didn’t play aggressively because the ball really stops here.
“You always really have to go for the ball.
“I’m just really glad I won it because I really wanted to win. The crowd doesn’t know: if they are against me, I play even better.”
Ostapenko booked her spot in the Round of 16 where she’ll take on Martina Trevisan for a spot in the quarterfinals.
The upset win by the 24th seed followed a big day of boilovers after American world number six Coco Gauff was knocked out of the Miami Open after an intense three-set battle with an impressive Anastasia Potapova while three-times tournament winner Victoria Azarenka fell to Poland’s Magda Linette.
Six of the top eight-seeded women are now out of the tournament, but third-seed Jessica Pegula advanced with a 6-1, 7-6 win over fellow American Danielle Collins.
Potapova showed determination, stamina and some powerful baseline hitting as she beat South Florida-based Gauff 6-7, 7-5, 6-2.
The two hour, 41 minute game in the early afternoon heat, ebbed and flowed before Potapova took a firm grip in the third set.
The 27th seeded Russian led 5-2 in the first set but Gauff fought back to win the tie-break after Potapova went wide with a poor shot on set-point.
“I think I just let it go, and I started to focus on my tennis and going for my shots and not thinking what she is going to do,” Potapova said of her turnaround performance.
Gauff was disappointed with a performance where she failed to find a consistent rhythm.
“I felt like I just didn’t play how I wanted to today. Really, where I got in the match was just because of my mentality, but not because of my game,” said the 19-year-old, who said that while she felt some nerves on her home court, she wasn’t overawed.
“I don’t think that’s the reason why I lost today. I really think it was a combination of Anastasia playing well and me not stepping into the court when I needed to in certain moments,” she said.
Potapova will play Chinese starlet Zheng Qinwen in the round of 16 after she beat 12th seed Liudmila Samsonova 5-7, 7-6, 6-3 in 3 hours and 7 minutes.
Azarenka fell in three sets to the lower-ranked Linette 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 ending her hopes of a fourth Miami title.
– with AFP