Top seed and defending champion Jelena Ostapenko has kick-started her campaign at the Korean Open with a straightforward 6-3, 6-3, win over Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena.
Ostapenko, who last won a title on the WTA Tour 12 months ago at the same tournament, battled through with the help of her powerful hitting. Throughout the match the world No.10 hit a total of 32 winners, which was nearly undone by 29 unforced errors. A sharp contrast to Arruabarrena’s three and eight. Ostapenko also broke her opponent five times.
“She’s a very good player and very consistent,” Ostapenko told wtatennis.com afterwards. “Today was a good match for me, especially for the first round because first rounds are always tough.”
Despite the scoreline, Ostapenko also encountered some blips against her Spanish rival. During the first set she traded breaks before securing a second break on route to sealing a 6-3 lead. Doing so with the help of a serve down the centre of the court which Arruabarrena returned back into the net.
Meanwhile, in the second set, four consecutive errors during one of Ostapenko’s service games handed her opponent an early lead for 2-0. Sensing the threat, the Latvian muscled her way back into the match by claiming four straight games to move ahead 4-2. Victory was then sealed three games later with the help of a Ostapenko backhand down the line.
“I was really happy that so many people came,” the Latvian said about playing in South Korea. “Especially here in Korea, I have great memories from last year – the fans support me a lot so I felt really good out there today.”
Ostapenko will play Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova next.
Kiki Bertens was another player to secure their place in the second round. The Dutch world No.12 overcame a tough start to prevail 7-6(7), 6-2, over Thailand’s Luksika Kumkhum. Bertens was down 5-3 in the opener and then had to save two set points during the tiebreaker.
26-year-old Bertens is seeking her third title of 2018 on the tour this week. Earlier this year she triumphed at Premier events in Charleston and Cincinnati. Awaiting her in the next round at the Korean Open will be Dalila Jakupović.
Elsewhere, three players have already progressed to the quarter-final stage. Greece’s Maria Sakkari dropped only four games during her 6-2, 6-2, win over Margarita Gasparyan. Evgeniya Rodina knocked out eighth seed Kirsten Flipkens in three sets and Anja Tomljanovic came from a set down to defeat Tamara Zidansek.
