Ostapenko/Shai advance to Toronto doubles round of 16 with straight-set win
Jelena Ostapenko and partner Shai defeated Donna Vekic and Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the Toronto WTA doubles tournament to reach the round of 16.
Latvian tennis player Jelena Ostapenko, partnering with Shai, claimed a convincing victory in the first round of the WTA Tour event in Toronto. The duo beat the Croatian-Greek pair of Donna Vekic and Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-2 to move into the round of 16. The match began with an early break, as Shai won the decisive point at the net in the first game to break Vekic's serve. The pair then extended their lead to 2-0, but rain interrupted the proceedings during the third game. After a short delay, play resumed and Ostapenko/Shai continued to dominate, moving ahead 4-1 before closing out the set 6-2.
The second set saw both teams struggle with serve consistency early on, but Shai then produced a solid serve game to make it 3-1. Ostapenko had to save a break point at 30-40, with Sakkari sending a shot long, and the Latvian then followed up with a strong serve to put the pair up 4-2. A mis-hit from Vekic on Sakkari's serve game gave the winners another break, and Ostapenko sealed the win with a clean shot on Shai's serve, taking the set 6-2.
According to match statistics, the winners were superior in points won behind first serve (77% to 58%), total points (52-42) and break point conversions (5 of 12 compared to 1 of 6). The ace-to-double-fault ratio was 1-9 versus 1-3.
By reaching the round of 16 in Toronto, Ostapenko/Shai earned 120 ranking points and $28,810, while the eventual champions will take home 1,000 points and $379,080.
Their next-round opponents are yet to be determined.
