4-time Grand Slam winner has been halted by the hard hitting Latvian

Swiatek has been flawless so far in New York, she has progressed to the fourth round without dropping a set. The tennis world has very high expectations of Iga Swiatek, therefore this type of record in a Grand Slam is almost expected!

This match had a lot riding on it, including Swiatek’s status as World Number 1! As a result of this loss, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka will replace Swiatek as the WTA Number 1 after the US Open. The Pole does not enjoy facing the raw power that comes on the other side of the net from Jelena Ostapenko. The Latvian’s game has the potential to blow any opponent away on the right day, as previously mentioned in one of our multibet pieces. 

Undefeatable?

The record of Iga Swiatek in WTA matches after winning the first set is simply ridiculous. She had won 50 straight matches in 2023, after picking up the first set. However, Jelena Ostapenko had other ideas - she managed to put a stop to this record by securing her name in the Quarter-Finals. This is Ostapenko’s  fourth win against Iga Swiatek, more importantly she has never lost against her Polish counterpart.

Off her pedastal

A whopping 75-week run at the top will finally come to an end after the US Open. This will be a delight to some of the other competitors on the WTa tour, as they will believe that she can be knocked off top spot. The woman who will take her place is none other than Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka is currently a close favourite for the US Open alongside home favourite Coco Gauff. 

Ostapenko Game Plan

Ostapenko had clearly set out a game plan against Iga Swiatek, however it was not too far different from her usual plan. Bash the ball, and bash it hard. She said she knew she had ‘to be aggressive’ and ensure she was ‘fighting until the very last point’. This is precisely how the game panned out, she gave the automatic line judges a good test and also battled hard to recover a deficit and win the game.