Last week’s Dubai champion Jelena Ostapenko has extended her winning streak to six consecutive matches with a 6-4 6-2 victory over Oceane Dodin at the Qatar Total Energies Open in Doha.
Dodin went up a 3-0 lead with a double break in the opening set before Ostapenko pulled one break back in the fourth game for 1-3. Dodin earned a game point on serve for 5-3 before Ostapenko broke back for the second time to draw level to 4-4.
Ostapenko fended off four break points in a five-deuce game before sealing the first set 6-4 with a break on her fifth set point after Dodin had a point for 5-5.
Ostapenko earned a break in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. Dodin broke straight back in the fifth game at deuce, but Ostapenko broke twice in the sixth and eighth games to close out the second set 6-2.
Ostapenko will face Amanda Anisimova, who beat Beatriz Haddad Maia 7-5 6-4.
Former to 5 player Caroline Garcia upset 2014 Doha champion Simona Halep 6-4 6-3 in 93 minutes scoring her first win against her Romanian opponent in more than four years.
Garcia earned a break in each set and saved all nine break points she faced.
Garcia recorded just one win over Halep in the Beijing WTA tournament final in 2017, but she has won just two sets in their next five matches.
The French player won her second match against a top 30 player this year after beating Jessica Pegula in Sydney. The current world number 74 set up a match against Coco Gauff, who beat Shelny Rogers 6-2 6-3 in an all-American match.
“It was a good match on my part. It was very tricky with the wind and cold weather, and against Simona. It’s always a great battle against her. Today I was very happy to stay very aggressive and positive on every point. She had a good week in Dubai and in Australia as well, so she is full of confidence. I didn’t win a lot of matches at the beginning of the year. It was complicated for me, but every match is a match, and you have to fight from the first point to the last point. I did it very good today and I am very pleased with my performance. I am working every day and hopefully I can get some more wins, more confidence and play better. I am very pleased to be able to come back tomorrow”, said Garcia.
