Ostapenko and Hsieh reach Cincinnati quarterfinal after opponents retire
Jelena Ostapenko and Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the Cincinnati doubles quarterfinal after their opponents retired trailing 6:3, 2:1.
At the WTA tournament in Cincinnati, Jelena Ostapenko and her doubles partner, Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei, secured a win after their opponents decided to stop the match before it was completed. The encounter, originally scheduled for the night of August 19, ended up starting the previous evening at around 22:40, with the temperature at roughly 28 degrees.
The first set was decided in one of the final games, when the opponents failed to handle a shot from Hsieh, pushing the favourites ahead 4:3. Hsieh then created two break-point chances with a strong shot, and Ostapenko sealed the next point to make it 5:3. The pair closed out the set with a winning smash, taking it 6:3.
In the second set, Ostapenko and Hsieh broke their opponents' serve early on, but once the score reached 2:1, the opposing pair decided not to continue, handing the Latvian-Taiwanese duo the win.
Statistics show the winners were ahead in every key category: first-serve points won (67% to 46%), total points won (41:33), and break points converted (4 of 5 versus 2 of 5). Quarterfinalists in the doubles draw receive 215 ranking points and a $53,900 prize, while the eventual champions will earn 1,000 points and $379,080. The quarterfinal opponents will be determined the following day.
