There’s no doubting Jelena Ostapenko when it comes to her tennis talent. She may be ranked World No. 21 right now, but there was a time when she was much higher up in the WTA rankings. Back in 2017, the Latvian also conquered the French Open women’s singles title. 2018 saw her make it all the way to the Wimbledon semifinal as well. However, since 2018, Ostapenko’s form dipped, and in recent years, she has mostly failed to deliver on her huge promise, i.e., until now. Right now, Ostapenko is all set to take on America’s darling, Coco Gauff, in the quarterfinal stage of the US Open.

The most remarkable thing about Ostapenko’s splendid run at the US Open this year is the fact that she defeated none other than Iga Swiatek in the round of 16 to seal her place in the quarterfinals. Ahead of the match, all bets were on Swiatek to go through. After all, Swiatek went into the match as not only the defending champion but also as the favorite to win this time around. However, Ostapenko had other ideas, and the top-seed disruptor has something similar in mind for Coco Gauff as well.

Jelena Ostapenko knows exactly what to expect against Coco Gauff

It’s not a stretch to say that Coco Gauff has been one of the stars of the 2023 US Open. Sure, the expectations on her were sky high, but she has not failed to deliver. Now that Swiatek’s out of the running, Gauff surely has a big chance of going all the way to fight for the year’s last Grand Slam. However, considering Ostapenko’s form, it certainly won’t be easy for Gauff.

During her lively post-match press conference, Ostapenko poured her heart out when she was quizzed about facing home favorite Gauff. She said, “The crowd is going to be for sure, like, supporting her a lot. But I think that’s fine because she’s playing at home. Of course, it’s going to be a tough match”.

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Next, Ostapenko was questioned regarding her thoughts on Gauff. Ostapenko replied, “She’s a great young player. I played her in Australia. It was a great match. I will try to focus on myself and enjoy it”. Gauff fans are bound to be a bit nervous considering everything that unfolded in the Australian Open encounter that Ostapenko referred to.

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What happened at the 2023 Australian Open match between Gauff and Ostapenko?

In the fourth round of the 2023 Australian Open, Gauff faced Ostapenko. Most tennis fans expected Gauff to win comfortably. However, Ostapenko dispatched Gauff in straight sets, much to the American’s horror.

After the match, Gauff was inconsolable, and understandably so. The American youngster broke down and suggested that she herself had predicted an easy win. Did Gauff learn her Ostapenko lesson at the Australian Open? If the answer is no, it’s safe to say that the top-seed disruptor definitely stands a chance to cause an upset at the US Open quarterfinal. Do you think Ostapenko has what it takes to overwhelm Gauff? Or do you predict Gauff to win by a comfortable margin? Let us know in the comments section below.

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