Ostapenko convincingly reaches Wimbledon third round, may face Sabalenka
Latvian tennis player Aļona Ostapenko, ranked 31st in the WTA, advanced to the third round of Wimbledon with a dominant 6-2, 6-0 victory over Croatia's Antonija Ružiča, and could next face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Aļona Ostapenko delivered a commanding performance in the second round of Wimbledon on Saturday, defeating Croatian Antonija Ružiča 6-2, 6-0 in just over an hour. The Latvian broke early to lead 4-0 in the first set and closed it out on her second set point. In the second set, she was even more dominant, winning all six games and converting her second match point.
This was the first meeting between the two players. Ostapenko had earlier beaten Britain's Harriet Dart (WTA 151) in the first round 6-3, 3-6, 6-4; Dart received a wild card into the tournament. Ružiča defeated Latvia's second-ranked player Darja Semeņistaja (WTA 104) in the first round 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; Semeņistaja entered the main draw as a lucky loser after losing in the final qualifying round.
Ostapenko is playing her 11th Wimbledon. Her best result is a semifinal in 2018, and she has two quarterfinal appearances (2017 and 2024). Last year she lost in the first round. Her third-round opponent will be either world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus or American McCartney Kessler (WTA 57); their match is scheduled for later today. Ostapenko will also compete in doubles with American Sofia Kenin, facing the duo of Nikola Bartůňková (Czech Republic) and Alexandra Eala (Philippines) in the first round.
