By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Grand Slam success came to Jelena Ostapenko in a hurry when she hoisted the French Open trophy as an unseeded 20-year-old but the early career triumph soon became a burden.
On Sunday, the weight eased a little as the Latvian upset seventh seed Coco Gauff 7-5 6-3 to reach her first Australian Open quarter-final, and first at a Grand Slam since the Wimbledon semis in 2018.
At a tournament fast running out of high seeds, Ostapenko has found her groove.
She next plays Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who sent world number one Iga Swiatek packing in the early match at Rod Laver Arena.
Her country’s first Grand Slam champion, Ostapenko is hardly alone in being unable to back up after winning a major title but her retreat from the spotlight was sudden and sustained.
Expectations she would deliver eventually became tough to deal with.
“Honestly, yes, because everybody expected you almost to win every single tournament, which is crazy, because you are still a human and you cannot feel great every day,” the 17th seed told reporters at Melbourne Park.
“I needed some time to get used to it. Of course, (there was) a lot of attention from everywhere outside the court, like photo shoots and all those kind of things.
“You became more popular in your country. Everybody is watching you. Of course, it’s great, but I needed some time to get used to it.”
Ostapenko’s aggressive game swept all before her at Roland Garros in 2017, where she became the first unseeded player to win the title since 1933.
That same aggression left Gauff frustrated on Sunday as 30 winners flew by her at Margaret Court Arena, leaving the 18-year-old American in tears at her post-match news conference.
Ostapenko is no shrinking violet and has sometimes let her emotions get the better of her on court.
She had an ugly exchange with Ajla Tomljanovic at Wimbledon in 2021 when the Australian accused her of faking an injury to have a medical time-out.
“With me it’s never boring on the court, so I think that’s what the fans like,” she said with a laugh.
“Of course, sometimes I can go a little bit too much, but
I’m an emotional person in general.
“So I try to find a balance, and I’m looking for it now. I feel like this week is a bit better.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
