Former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko overcame a fiercely fighting Ankita Raina to record a 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 victory and put host Latvia 1-0 ahead in the Billie Jean King Cup World Group play-off at the indoor arena in Jurmala on Friday.
Ostapenko, 23, handled the climax like a champion in the third set when Ankita was leading 5-4. The 28-year-old Ankita played her heart out, but Ostapenko stepped it up to close the contest.
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A better start could have helped Ankita fancy her chances, but it was not to be. It was more about rarely playing an opponent of such quality that saw Ankita err with her all-out attacking style of play initially. To her advantage, Ostapenko also struggled with her serve and strokes. However, Ankita was unable to capitalise on the
opportunities.
After shrugging off the excitement of the first set, Ankita was a lot more precise and purposeful with her game in the second set. She dictated terms by jumping to a 2-0 lead and stretching it to 5-2.
However, Ostapenko reduced the vulnerability of her serve to fight back into the set. Ankita kept her cool, ran hard on the rallies and placed the ball nicely to engineer errors from Ostapenko and seal the set, pushing the game to a decider.
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Complaining of a hip strain, Ostapenko got the trainer for treatment, and got off to a smart start in the third set.
While the Latvian No.2 became sober, Ankita was unable to match her with accuracy, even though she covered the hard yards. Ankita, ranked 174, put up a gritty show and pushed the Grand Slam champion to her wit’s end, but could not outwit her.
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