Elena Rybakina vs Jelena Ostapenko will take place in the semi-final of the 2023 Italian Open on May 19.
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Against former world No. 2 Paula Badosa, Jelena Ostapenko rained down a barrage of winners—nearly 50 by the end of the match—and broke serve seven times to win 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 and advance to her first Italian Open semifinal. Later in the evening, she did come back to the court, but her doubles career ended in the quarterfinals. With a 13-9 record in the semifinals, the former world No. 5 is continuing her quest for a second clay-court championship. She has a record of 3-5 in WTA 1000-level or higher semifinal matches and wants to reach her biggest final since Miami in 2018. She competed in three finals the previous year, winning in Dubai, and placing second in Eastbourne and Seoul.
When she faced Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals, Elena Rybakina initially appeared to be losing the match. She managed to save all five breakpoints in the final two service games of the second set, not only coming back from a set down and 2-4. The two-time defending champion sustained a right thigh injury as a result of the Kazakh’s persistence, forcing him to retire. In WTA 1000 events, she is otherwise having a breakthrough year. Before making it to back-to-back finals in Indian Wells (W) and Miami (R-up) in March, the current world No. 6 had never played in a WTA 1000 semifinal. Her career record in semifinal wins-losses is 13-6 (including 6-1 since the beginning of 2022) and 2-0 on clay.
| Elena Rybakina vs Jelena Ostapenko | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | May 19, 2023 |
| Surface | Clay |
| Tournament | Italian Open |
| Stage | Semi-final |
| Time (India) | 10:30 pm |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Iga Swiatek | Walkover (W) |
| Marketa Vondrousova | 6-3, 6-3 (W) |
| Anna Kalinskaya | Walkover (W) |
| Jasmine Paolini | 7-6, 6-1 (W) |
| Anna Kalinskaya | 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 (L) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Paula Badosa | 2-6, 6-4, 3-6 (W) |
| Daria Kasatkina | 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 (W) |
| Barbora Krejcikova | 7-6, 6-0 (W) |
| Sorana Cirstea | 3-6, 6-3, 2-6 (W) |
| Liudmila Samsonova | 6-2, 6-0 (L) |
2-1 is Jelena Ostapenko’s advantage. All three encounters occurred in later rounds (quarterfinal or later), and all three ended in straight sets. The Kazakh won the Australian Open in January, following the Latvian’s victories in Linz in 2019 and Eastbourne in 2021.
Elena Rybakina vs Jelena Ostapenko will take place in the semi-final of the 2023 Italian Open on May 19.
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