2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko got a wake-up call as she dropped the opening set before charging to a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Sorana Cirstea on Tuesday at the ATP-WTA Adelaide International.
But the tournament lost Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova as the Czech withdrew prior to her opening match with a back problem. The implications for her Australian Open at the weekend are unknown.
Latvian sixth seed Ostapenko needed a shock of first-round adrenaline to kick-start her game after losing serve twice in the first set against her Romanian opponent.
“I was sleeping in the first set, I’m not really a morning person,” Ostapenko said after an 11 a.m. start at Memorial Drive. “It took me time to wake up and get into the match. I’m glad I managed to win it.”
The seed’s recovery included a run of six winning games out of seven to reach 3-1 in the final set; Ostapenko took her first lead in the contest after 81 minutes, 1-0 in the third.
“I like to play in Australia,” the 2023 Australian Open quarter-finalist said. “Conditions are good for me. Sometimes I get too worked up but then I calm down and play better.
“I need to be a little bit more calm, take my time in matches. Sometimes after I break, I’m playing too fast.”
Ostapenko was making her second appearance at the event, with the Latvian getting her first victory here.
Ostapenko has won three of four previous matches against Cirstea, with the Romanian claiming their most recent meeting at Wimbledon last summer.
In other first-round results, German Laura Siegemund, part of the country’s winning United Cup team, opened 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-4, dismissing seventh seed Liudmila Samsonova
Number eight Veronika Kudermetova beat lucky loser Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 7-5 while Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia defeated teenaged Australian wild card Taylah Preston, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
Main photo:- Jelena Ostapenko by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
