Jelena Ostapenko stuns Iga Swiatek to end her US Open title defense

• Jelena Ostapenko defeated Iga Swiatek in the round of 16 of the US Open.
• This was Ostapenko’s fourth win over Swiatek.
• The loss ended Swiatek’s 37-match winning streak.

The powerful Jelena Ostapenko’s inspired performance in the round of 16 ruined Iga Swiatek’s defense of the US Open title.

During Sunday night’s night session in New York, Latvian 20th seed Ostapenko defeated Polish top seed Swiatek 3-6 6-3 6-1.

Ostapenko struck 31 winners with her bold and aggressive style, which also caused Swiatek to make a lot of errors.

At the French Open in 2017, Ostapenko won her lone major. She will next play American sixth seed Coco Gauff.

The loss ended Swiatek’s 75-week reign as the top-ranked woman in the world, and Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka will undoubtedly succeed her following the US Open.

“I’m surprised that my level changed so drastically,” said 22-year-old Swiatek.

“Usually when I play bad, I play bad at the beginning, then I catch up or problem solve. This time it was totally the opposite.

“I don’t really know what happened with my game. I felt no control suddenly.”

Ostapenko had defeated Swiatek in all three of their prior encounters, but the two hadn’t met since February 2022, when the Pole started a historic 37-match winning streak.

During the run, Swiatek assumed control of the #1 spot in the WTA rankings, a position she has held ever since as her dominance has grown.

The main concern in this interesting matchup was how she would handle the tremendous hitting of 26-year-old Ostapenko.

“I always expect a tough battle against Iga, she is such a great player and very consistent,” said Ostapenko.

“But I just went for it. I know I had to play my game and be aggressive because that is not what she likes.”

Swiatek initially fell behind with an early break but then started to handle her opponent’s groundstrokes well, turning the set in an entertaining manner. However, in the second set, she lost her serve again and couldn’t recover this time.

Swiatek struggled with the pace of Ostapenko’s returns, leading to errors in the rallies, and found herself overwhelmed in an extraordinary deciding set.

Ostapenko hit a series of impressive winners, taking a commanding 5-0 lead, and even had the chance to win the set 6-0, a rare feat against Swiatek, who is known for her dominant performances.

Although Swiatek avoided a 6-0 scoreline by breaking her opponent’s serve, Ostapenko remained determined and secured victory with an exceptional forehand winner to complete a love break.

When asked about her victory, she mentioned that she was focused on playing every point until the very end.

“When I was 5-0 up she was missing more but I thought I was playing better and not giving her any chances.”

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