Jelena Ostapenko was to play Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit in the final of the women’s singles at the Viking International Eastbourne after an impressive 6-4 6-1 win against Elena Rybakina on Friday, while Taiwan’s Latisha Chan and Chan Hao-ching were defeated in the women’s doubles.
Former French Open champion Ostapenko, now 43rd in the world rankings, struck 38 winners against Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who appeared to be hindered late in the first set by a back problem.
World No. 21 Rybakina required medical treatment after holding serve to trail 5-4.
Photo: AFP
Ostapenka went on to dominate the second set.
Kontaveit, the world No. 27, progressed to her eighth career final after Italy’s Camila Giorgi was forced to retire due to a thigh injury when trailing 5-4 in the first set.
Giorgi ousted top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals on Thursday but paid for her exertions in that match as she lasted just 47 minutes before having to pull out.
Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego and Australia’s Alex de Minaur were to contest the men’s final, with all games to finish after press time last night.
In the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, Nicole Melichar of the US and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands defeated the Chan sisters 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 10-5.
In the final, they were to play Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara, who ousted Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine and Japan’s Makoto Ninomiya 7-5, 6-1.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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