Well, after the first game I'm looking like a bloody genius. Four clean winners off first or second shots. 1-love Jelena....and after the second game, I look like a ****ing idiot, 1-1. The usual pattern, in other words....Ostapenko gets another "bombs away" break, 3-2....ai, yi, yi, and again gives it right back, 3-3....5-4 on serve with Jelena taking a reckless all-or-nothing-at-all approach to just about every point. It's going to boil down to which one of the two has the weakest second serve.....Simona breaks again for the set.
Jelena has to dial it down from "11" to at least "10." Simona has done a nice job of adjusting to Ostapenko's power by now anticipating where the ball is going to go. Winners/unforced errors have a crazy big discrepancy, a snapshot of the match: Simona 1/3; Jelena 16/23.
2nd: Jelena blows a love-40 start, 1-love....Anything Simona can get a racket on comes back across the net, and now Ostapenko is getting frustrated by the need to always hit more shots than anticipated in a rally, 2-love....I would say the experience/inexperience gap is currently significantly wider than the power discrepancy....Ostapenko just barely holds, saving three break points, 3-1. A break there would have been curtains, obviously....Jelena's stroke production is getting spotty under Simona's steady pressure....but Jelena comes right back with a break of her own, 3-2.....each player is currently winning 26% of their second serves....Jelena saves two break points in holding for 3-3. Her game is played on such a knife's edge....and with another break, Jelena turns the set around, 4-3. Who'd a thunk?....she gives it right back with balls sailing long like she never heard of topspin. Definitely a work in progress, this kid....and then breaks at love and will be serving for the set at 5-4. What a roller coaster ride!...and with a dazzling display of shot making, she takes the set.
3rd set: I have no idea what to expect next....Jelena blow a 15-40 lead on Halep's serve, 1-love....the "bad" Jelena shows up, 3-1...not to worry, Ostapenko breaks right back, 3-2. Simona must have something against 3-1 leads....a very tense, well played hold, 3-3...oh my god, Jelena breaks again on the luckiest of net cords, 4-3. Similar pattern to second set....easy, peasy hold for 5-3, like this is no big deal.....and cool as a Latvian cucumber, which are way cool, Jelena breaks again for the match.
Delightful.
