US Jennifer Brady reeled off the last eight games to beat 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-4 6-0 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
This year’s Australian Open doubles semifinalist Jennifer Brady scored her second first round surprise win after beating Caroline Garcia at the Toyota Thailand Open.
The match started with six breaks in the first seven games. Brady was the first to hold serve in the third game and broke three times to take a 4-3 lead. In the eighth game Ostapenko came back from 15-40 down to get her first hold of serve for 4-4. Brady held serve at love before breaking serve at 30 in the 10th game to seal the first set 6-4.
Brady broke three times in the second, fourth and sixth games to take a bagel win in the second set.
“it’s really tough mentally because you have to really stay in it. It could change in a matter of a few points. It could go your way or her way. It could go your way or her way. I just really stayed engaged mentally, just trying to be as solid as possible. I was able to execute well,said Brady.
Brady will face either Caroline Garcia or Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova in the second round.
The other two US players, who qualified for the second round were Allison Riske and Sofia Kenin.
Riske stunned number 13 seed Julia Goerges 6-4 7-5. Kenin dropped just three games in her 6-3 6-0 win over Mihaela Buzarnescu. Ons Jabeur edged Donna Vekic 6-4 7-6 (11-9). Carla Suarez Navarro cruised past Barbora Stycova 6-1 6-3.
