Former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko said the partisan fans at the Qatar Open were disrespectful for jeering her throughout her quarter-final match, as she eased to a 6-2 6-2 win over Ons Jabeur.
The 27-year-old Latvian’s relentless pace and aggressive ball-striking proved too much for the Tunisian. Ostapenko will meet three-times defending champion Iga Swiatek in Friday’s semi-final, after Swiatek’s 6-2, 7-5 win over Elena Rybakina on Thursday.
Ostapenko said the hostile crowd fuelled her motivation as she avenged her first-round loss to Jabeur at the Abu Dhabi Open last week, firing four aces and breaking her opponent five times while Jabeur managed just one break in the opening set.
“I know Ons is their favourite, I respect that, but, you know, between serves, shouting and whistling and coughing, I think it’s a little bit disrespectful, not only to me, if this happens to any other player I think they should be taken care of,” Ostapenko said in the post-match press conference.
“I respect Ons, I respect the crowd, and I feel like some moments they were even motivating me better, like more and more, and I was playing even better, so I kind of like it, you know.”
Addressing the crowd on court after her win she said: “It’s great that Ons is playing like a woman from Middle East and she is representing. Its amazing what she has done for tennis but you guys made me angry and more motivated.”
Ostapenko leads 4-0 in her head-to-head record against Swiatek, having last beaten her in the fourth round of the U.S. Open in 2023 and has been in top form in Doha, defeating fourth seed Jasmine Paolini 6-2 6-2 before her win over Jabeur.
