Top seed Jelena Ostapenko has reached her first tour semifinal since June after defeating Veronica Cepede Royg 6-3, 6-1, at the Korea Open in Seoul.
Bidding to win only her second professional title after this year’s French Open, the Latvian dominated proceedings from the onset against the world No.77. Breaking her rival in the first and ninth games of the match to clinch the opening set. Hitting a total of 23 winners compared to Cepede Royd’s tally of five, Ostapenko continued her dominance in the second set by storming to a 5-0 lead on her way to the 74-minute win.
“It was a tough match. She was playing very well, very aggressively. I just tried to play my game,” Ostapenko said after her match, according to wtatennis.com.
“In the first set, I thought I was playing a little bit better. The second set, I didn’t put so many serves in,” She evaluated. “Still, I’m happy with how I finished the match.”
Despite being tenth in the world, it is only the fifth time this season that the 20-year-old has managed to reach the last four of a tournament. She will next play Thai qualifier Luksika Kumkhum, who stunned Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-1. Kumkhum is a former top 100 player who made headlines at the 2014 Australian Open by defeating Petra Kvitova in the first round.
“I saw a couple of her matches,” Ostapenko said of Kumkhum. “She hits the ball really hard, but I’m also an aggressive player. I think it’ll be a good battle, and I’m looking forward to it.”
The other half of the draw will see two players fight it out for a place in their first WTA Final. Dutch player Richel Hogenkamp edged her past past Australian qualifier Priscilla Hon 6-3, 6-4. Meanwhile Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia disposed of Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 6-4.
The semifinal clash will be the second meeting between the two players and the first since 2013. On that occasion Haddad Maia triumphed in three sets.
