PARIS :Kazakh Elena Rybakina’s claycourt form showed no sign of dipping as she brushed aside former champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-2 in a duel of heavy hitters to reach the fourth round of the French Open on Friday.
The 12th-seeded Rybakina, who came to Roland Garros fresh from her Strasbourg Open run to the title, was not impressed by Ostapenko’s flurry of missiles as she prevailed with a forehand winner down the line on the first match point.
“The fast conditions make it difficult to control the ball but it definitely helps for the serve,” said Rybakina.
“I had some ups and downs but happy with the way it went today.”
Latvia’s Ostapenko, who also had shown good form on clay this season, beating Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka to win the Stuttgart Open last month, played her usual roll-the-dice tennis but did not get lucky.
The 2017 Roland Garros winner served three aces but eight double faults while her 14 winners could not make up for a staggering 22 unforced errors.
Rybakina, who also peppered the court with a high number of unforced errors, will next face four-time champion Iga Swiatek of Poland.
