Ostapenko thrashed on home soil by Pera
Home advantage counted for little as Jelena Ostapenko crashed out in the first round of the Baltic Open.
Jelena Ostapenko suffered a crushing defeat in front of her home fans at the Baltic Open as Bernarda Pera thrashed her in the first round.
The 2017 French Open champion could not use the support of the fans in Jurmala to her advantage as Pera, coming off a run to the semi-finals at the Ladies Open Lausanne, eased to a 6-2 6-1 win in just 66 minutes.
“I feel great,” Pera said. “Every ball, I saw really big, and thank God I got to finish early!”
Speaking later in her post-match media conference, the American added: “I knew I could win this match. I just had to stay focused and stick to my game plan. I felt pretty good from the beginning and I’m happy to get through.”
While eighth seed Ostapenko crashed out, top seed and compatriot Anastasija Sevastova had no problems as she hammered Varvara Flink by the same scoreline. Second seed Caroline Garcia battled to a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (8-6) win over Kristyna Pliskova.
.@bernarda_pera is through to the second round of the @balticopen2019.
Eases past Ostapenko 6-2, 6-1 pic.twitter.com/jDCEJc5jjP
— WTA (@WTA) July 23, 2019
There were, however, other shocks on Tuesday as Katerina Siniakova lost to Anhelina Kalinina in three sets while qualifier Nina Stojanovic overcame fourth seed Aliaksandra Sasnovich in a contest that also went the distance.
Wildcard Jana Fett got the better of seventh seed Tatjana Maria across three sets while Valentyna Ivakhnenko carried qualifying momentum into the main draw with a 6-0 6-4 victory over Sorana Cirstea.
Bucharest Open champion Elena Rybakina beat Han Xinyun and runner-up Patricia Maria Tig defeated Ankita Raina, while there were also wins for Paula Ormaechea, Katarzyna Kawa and Chloe Paquet.
At the Palermo Open, world number five Kiki Bertens was emphatic in dispatching Ekaterine Gorgodze 6-0 6-1, while second seed Alize Cornet struggled past wildcard Martina Trevisan 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-1.
Third seed Viktoria Kuzmova survived a three-set scare against Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Lausanne champion Fiona Ferro – who beat Cornet in the final – knocked out seventh seed Sara Sorribes Tormo in straight sets.
Jasmine Paolini stunned sixth seed Laura Siegemund 6-1 6-4, Fanny Stollar triumphed over Sara Errani, Jil Teichmann saw off Daria Gavrilova and Irina Camelia-Begu and Anna-Lena Friedsam also earned victories.
