Jelena Ostapenko Wins Eastbourne Opener, Elena Rybakina Withdraws
NDTV
2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina pulled out of the event after a change in her schedule.
Jelena Ostapenko launched her bid for a second Eastbourne title with a gritty straight sets win over Greet Minnen in the first round of the Wimbledon warm-up event on Monday, while top seed Elena Rybakina withdrew from the tournament. Latvian fifth seed Ostapenko, the 2021 Eastbourne champion, defeated the Belgian qualifier 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 in just under 90 minutes on court. There was a worrying moment for Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, when she fell on the grass midway through the second set but the world number 13 recovered to close out the win.
Ostapenko once won nine straight matches at Eastbourne, taking the 2021 title on England's south coast and reaching the 2022 final before her successful run was ended by Petra Kvitova.
"I think the surface suits me really well," Ostapenko said after Monday's match.
"The first time I played on grass, I was like, 'how can we play tennis on this surface? I don't understand what's happening here'. But then every year was better and better."
Asked about her fall, Ostapenko, 27, added: "Grass is a great surface, but sometimes it can be really slippery and really tricky. So I took the medical time-out just to make sure I'm fine."
