Jelena Ostapenko probably didn’t give an answer some reporters were expecting to hear from her as the Latvian tennis star said she wasn’t surprised at all that Yulia Putintseva was really competitive against Iga Swiatek and ultimately managed to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
On Saturday, top-seeded Swiatek exited Wimbledon in the third round after world No. 35 Putintseva saw off the five-time Grand Slam champion 3-6 6-1 6-2. That same day, world No. 14 Ostapenko safely earned a round-of-16 spot after dismantling Bernarda Pera 6-1 6-3.
While the Swiatek loss was shocking, it was also disappointing for many fans who were hoping to see the Pole take on Ostapenko in the Wimbledon round-of-16. Even though Swiatek has been undoubtedly the best player in the game for the past two and a half years and has accomplished a lot, she still hasn’t beaten one player – Ostapenko. Had an Ostapenko and Swiatek Wimbledon match happened, the 27-year-old Latvian would have entered with a 4-0 head-to-head record against the Pole.
But instead, Ostapenko faced Putintseva and easily made it past the 29-year-old Kazakh 6-2 6-3.
After overcoming Putintseva, 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko was asked if she was surprised about avoiding Swiatek.
“I…
