Jelena Ostapenko advanced to her second consecutive WTA 500 Tour semifinal after saving a match point to beat Petra Kvitova 5-7 7-5 7-6 (11-9) after 2 hours and 39 minutes in a third-set tie-break at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Kvitova led by a set and a break, served twice for the match and held a 4-2 lead in the tie-break of the third set.
Ostapenko has drawn level to 4-4 in her eight head-to-head matches against Kvitova. The Latvian player had won just match in her four appearances in Dubai.
Ostapenko raced out to a 4-1 lead and held a point for a 5-1 double break lead. Kvitova saved it with a dropshot and won six of the next seven games, The Czech player was not able to serve out the set at 5-4, but she broke serve in the 11th game and closed out the first set 7-5 with a return winner.
Kvitova went up a set and a break in the first game of the second set. The two-time Wimbledon champion held two points for a double break lead, but Ostapenko saved them with a forehand and a service winner.
Kvitova came two points from win at 5-4 30-0. Ostapenko won six consecutive games from 5-3 down in the second set by winning six consecutive games to take a 2-0 lead with a break in the second game of the third set.
Kvitova won five of the next seven games from 2-0 down, but she was not able to serve out the win at 5-4. Ostapenko went down 2-4 in the tie-break, but she pulled back on serve to draw level to 4-4 with a drive volley. The Latvian player held two match points at 6-5 and 7-6, but Kvitova saved them with a return winner and a serve out wide, but she missed a backhand on her match point at 8-7. Ostapenko sealed the win on her fourth match point with a forehand winner.
