Barbora Krejcikova tames Jelena Ostapenko to reach semi-finals

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Latvian dynamo Jelena Ostapenko fizzled out, allowing Barbora Krejcikova to advance to her first Wimbledon semi-final.

Ostapenko dominated the women's matches by only losing 15 games in four games, hitting a lot of powerful winners.

However, when the number of mistakes started to increase significantly more than the number of successful shots on Court One, Krejcikova was able to capitalize on this.

The quarter-final match was so quick that you could easily miss it. It only had short rallies of up to eight shots. However, Krejcikova managed to win with a score of 6-4 7-6 (4), earning herself a spot in the semi-finals against 2022 champion Elena Rybakina.

"I can't express how I feel at the moment," she stated. "I was completely focused on the game and promised myself to give it my all, so I'm thrilled that I did. This is a truly amazing moment for me."

The two previous winners of the Roland Garros tournament had very different beginnings to their match. Ostapenko quickly won her first service game in under two minutes, while Krejcikova started with two double faults.

However, the 28-year-old individual from the Czech Republic, who was still participating in doubles matches late on Tuesday evening, not only successfully maintained their serve but also managed to break Ostapenko in the following game.

It was a crucial moment when Krejcikova failed to make her first serve, causing Ostapenko to fall behind in a match for the first time. Ostapenko, who had been dominating with no more than three games lost in a set, was now facing a tough challenge.

All of a sudden, some of the powerful shots that had been hitting the edges of the court throughout the tournament were not landing where they were supposed to.

Ostapenko should consider partnering with a luxury watch brand, as she exhausts all of her Hawkeye challenges without any success.

However, the 27-year-old player from Riga found her momentum during the fourth game of the second set. She made a strong shot across the court to earn a break point, which Krejcikova lost by hitting a return into the net.

A tough fight in a game with six tied scores felt important, but in Ostapenko's following service game, she made two mistakes serving the ball as Krejcikova caught up to her again.

As the match entered the tie-break, Krejcikova continued to serve exceptionally well. She then seized the opportunity on the first of three match points, securing a calm and impressive win that she had certainly earned.

Ostapenko stated that her opponent played well in the match, but she believes the outcome was more influenced by her own lack of aggressiveness in taking shots.

I believe I am heading in the right direction. Every day, I notice improvements in myself.

Feeling great doesn't happen all the time. You just have to push yourself to find your motivation when you're feeling down. I believe that there are only good things to come from this experience.