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Confident Jelena Ostapenko keen to continue Wimbledon journey

Jelena Ostapenko, former Wimbledon junior champion, beat Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-0, 1-6, 6-3 in her opening encounter on Monday to set up a second round showdown against Canadian qualifier Francoise Abanda.

Published on: Jul 4, 2017, 17:33:55 IST
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French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko admits she is brimming with confidence following her maiden grand slam triumph and the Latvian believes her tennis education can continue on the grass courts of Wimbledon after making a solid start.

Jelena Ostapenko is a former Wimbledon junior champion. (Twitter)
Jelena Ostapenko is a former Wimbledon junior champion. (Twitter)

The 20-year-old former Wimbledon junior champion beat Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-0 1-6 6-3 in her opening encounter on Monday to set up a second round showdown against Canadian qualifier Francoise Abanda.

(Read | Wimbledon 2017: Petra Kvitova, Jelena Ostapenko, Elina Svitolina win 1st Round )

“I just feel a bit more confident,” Ostapenko told reporters when asked about her first grand slam event since last month’s triumph in Paris.

Ostapenko plans to continue to utilise her aggressive playing style but will seek to improve other aspects of her game to suit the conditions at the All England Club.

(Read | Jelena Ostapenko stuns Simona Halep, clinches French Open title)

“I mean, just maybe to stay more aggressive and serve and return better, because it’s very important on grass,” Ostapenko added.

“I was playing a little bit maybe less risky on clay. I mean, I was playing aggressive because it’s my style... But here you have to play aggressive because it’s very hard to move on grass.”

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