Ostapenko crushes second seed Pliskova in Paris

Friday, 2 October 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Jelena Ostapenko

Karolina Pliskova

PARIS (Reuters) - Former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko ousted second seed Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-2 in the second round at Roland Garros on Thursday after her Czech opponent produced a performance riddled with mistakes.

The 28-year-old Pliskova had also struggled with unforced errors in her opener against Egyptian qualifier Mayar Sherif but managed to get through that match using all her experience.Latvian Ostapenko, who won the 2017 title as an unseeded player, remained solid throughout and did not allow a sluggish-looking Pliskova to get a foothold in the match.The 23-year-old Ostapenko, ranked 43rd, was aggressive from the start as her strangely subdued opponent struggled to rein in the mistakes under the closed Court Philippe Chatrier roof.Pliskova, known as one of the biggest servers in the women’s game, committed three unforced errors and a double fault in the opening game of the match to be broken to love. Next up for Ostapenko in the third round will be former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens or Spaniard Paula Badosa.