"Queen of the world" "Nature is healing" - Jelena Ostapenko's return to top 10 delights tennis fans
Jelena Ostapenko has returned to the top 10 of the WTA Rankings after six years, and tennis fans are delighted to see the Latvian's comeback.
Ostapenko is currently playing at the Adelaide International. She defeated Caroline Garcia in the second round of the WTA 500 tournament 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 despite picking up an injury towards the end.
The victory means that Ostapenko will jump two spots in the WTA Rankings to return to the top 10 for the first time since 2018. Several tennis fans were happy to see Ostapenko's rise.
"She’s also back in the Too 10! Really great effort from Penko to reach back to back QFs despite nightmare draws to begin the year. Drawing Giorgi, Pliskova, Azarenka, Cîrstea and Garcia to start the year is no joke. Very promising start. Hope her injury isn’t too serious!" one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"Igor is trembling!!" tweeted another fan.
"Somehow, someway, wounded Penko wins over Garcia and makes the top 10 (* Kudermetova Adelaide title notwithstanding)," a fan said.
"ALJONA OSTAPENKO QUEEN OF LATVIA QUEEN OF THE WORLD," a fan said.
Here are some more fan reactions to Jelena Ostapenko's return to the top 10:
Jelena Ostapenko to face Marta Kostyuk in Adelaide International quarterfinals
Jelena Ostapenko will face off against Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Adelaide International on Thursday (January 11). The Latvian has so far bettered Sorana Cirstea 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round and Carolina Garcia in the second.
Meanwhile, Marta Kostyuk comes into the quarterfinal contest after downing fellow Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina and America's Taylor Townsend.
Kostyuk and Ostapenko last faced each other at the 2023 Guadalajara Open. The Latvian won the third-round contest 6-3, 6-2. That has been the only meeting between the two on the WTA Tour so far.
There will be some concerns about Jelena Ostapenko's health as she suffered an injury during her match against Garcia. In her post-match interview, the 26-year-old stated that she felt pain in her leg but persevered to complete the match.
“I’m really happy I won but on the other hand, I started to feel so much pain in my leg. I’m a real fighter & I never give up. But it was a bit tough to play bc of the pain. I somehow managed & won the match," Ostapenko said.