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Latvian tennis star Jelena Ostapenko was glad with the performance she delivered in her Eastbourne quarterfinal match as she is hoping to clinch back-to-back titles at the British grass court event. On Thursday, Ostapenko saw off Anhelina Kalinina 6-3 6-2 in the Eastbourne quarterfinal.
Ostapenko, 25, is playing in Eastbourne for the sixth time. Last year, Ostapenko clinched her first Eastbourne title. Now, she is two wins away from defending her Eastbourne title. In the Eastbourne semifinal, Ostapenko faces Italy's Camila Giorgi.
"I think today was a much better match. I felt like I was hitting the ball well," Ostapenko said, per the WTA website. "It's great to be here. This atmosphere here is amazing and the energy is good, so I'm feeling good."
Ostapenko dominated Kalinina after a slow start to the match
Ostapenko actually made a slow start to the match as Kalinina took an early 2-0 lead.
However, Kalinina's lead was short-lived as Ostapenko claimed back-to-back breaks in the fourth and sixth games to win five games in a row and open a 5-2 lead. Kalinina served out the eighth game to end Ostapenko's run of five consecutive games but it didn't change much as the Latvian served out for the first set in the following game.
After losing the first set, Kalinina served out the opening game of the second set. Then, Ostapenko went on a run as she claimed back-to-back breaks and won five games in a row to take a 5-1 lead. In the seventh game, Kalinina managed to serve out her service game and end Ostapenko's run of five consecutive games.
Ostapenko faced a break point in the eighth game but she saved it and managed to close out the match in straight sets. Ostapenko captured her first title of the season in February in Dubai. Now, Ostapenko is putting a strong run in Eastbourne and she definitely has a good chance of winning it all this week.