Jelena Ostapenko She is one of the best doubles players today. Grand Slam champion (US Open 2024) and ranked 5th in the ranking, she wants to fight again for an important crown. And, in that sense, she is getting closer to the goal with her partner Su Wei Hsieh.
For the third round of Australian Open and at the KIA Arena, the third seeds defeated the duo made up of the American Sofia Kenin and the German Laura Siegemund by 6-3 and 6-2 in 1h19m.
Now, beyond some colorful points and the general statistics, a tense moment occurred within the match. When the score was 6-2 and 5-1 (30-15), a point was played that left everyone present with their mouths open. The Latvian took advantage of a ball at shoulder height to go up to the net with a cross-court backhand.
Siegemund, positioned on the service box line, managed to block the shot and return the ball to the other side. And that was when Ostapenko, Roland Garros singles champion in 2017, volleyed backhand with great power and the ball hit the German’s face directly, who tried to run but couldn’t avoid it.
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Ostapenko hit Siegemund with a hard ball at the Australian Open
Jelena, partnered with Hsieh, earned a point in the women’s doubles in Melbourne in a curious way.
The doubles number one raised her left hand in apology and quickly moved to the back of the court to continue the match, which ended minutes later.
In the quarterfinals, the winning couple will face the Brazilian Luisa Stefani and the Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski.
The Australian Open 2026 can be followed live on the Disney+ Premium Plan screen
