Ostapenko rediscovered: Latvian powerhouse snaps losing streak to open Melbourne campaign
Jelena Ostapenko won against Rebecca Sramkova 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday.
Jelena Ostapenko
Latvian star Jelena Ostapenko, the 24th seed, officially turned the page on a difficult period Tuesday night by defeating Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
The victory marks a significant psychological breakthrough for the 28-year-old former French Open champion, as she snapped a damaging six-match losing streak that had plagued her since the final months of 2025.
Despite entering the tournament without a win in the 2026 season – following a disappointing second-round exit in Brisbane and a retirement in Adelaide – Ostapenko displayed the aggressive, high-risk tennis that has long defined her career.
While she had not tasted victory since the 2025 US Open, she looked remarkably composed against the world number 73, utilizing her signature flat groundstrokes to dictate play from the baseline. The win is her first of the new year and served as a clear signal that her trademark confidence is beginning to return.
With the first-round hurdle cleared, Ostapenko now advances to a second-round meeting with China’s Xinyu Wang. The 24-year-old Wang, currently ranked 43rd, arrives in excellent form after a clinical 6-3, 6-3 dismissal of Anhelina Kalinina earlier on Tuesday.
