Jelena Ostapenko is optimistic she can kick-start her stuttering 2018 season at the WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship on Wednesday against Russian Elena Vesnina.
The world No 6 and reigning French Open champion has not enjoyed the year so far, losing her first match at three of the five tournaments she has competed in, as well as being knocked out in the third round of the Australian Open in January.
But Ostapenko, while admitting she has had to adjust to being a top-10 player, is also encouraged by her performances in helping Latvia beat Turkey in the Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I earlier in February.
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“It was not easy this season, especially finishing last year as a top 10,” Ostapenko, 20, told reporters on Tuesday. “So it's a little bit harder because most of the matches I'm a favourite.
“But I think it was not bad. I had a lot of good matches. I mean, not last week [she lost in the second round in Doha in straight sets to world No 43 Mihaela Buzarnescu]. I won doubles, I'm really happy about it. In singles I would prefer to play better.
“I came from Fed Cup, all those emotions. We qualified for World Group, so that was great. I had a couple more days to prepare for the Dubai tournament. I feel good now.”
The French Open last June was when Ostapenko came to the attention of many in the sport when she shocked Simona Halep in the final to win her first major title.
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, she said one of her main goals was doing herself proud in Paris in May when she competes at a grand slam for the first time as defending champion.
“I did not do bad in Australia,” she said reflecting on the first of the four majors this year in Melbourne where she lost to Anett Kontaveit. “I made the third round. It was a tough match. Of course, losing is not great, but I did my best.
“Hopefully the other three I can play well. I will prepare very well for the French Open because I have to defend the title.”
This is Ostapenko’s third time in Dubai. She did not qualify for the main draw in 2016 and lost in the first round 12 months ago to Chinese player Qiang Wang.
Ostapenko had a bye to the second round with Vesnina, the world No 23, defeating Shuai Peng 6-4, 7-5 on Monday.
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
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Started: 2016
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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit
As he spoke, Mr Aboul Gheit repeatedly referred to the need to tackle issues affecting the welfare of people across the region both in terms of preventing conflict and in pushing development.
Lebanon is scheduled to host the fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in January that will see regional leaders gather to tackle the challenges facing the Middle East. The last such summit was held in 2013. Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told The National that the Beirut Summit “will be an opportunity for Arab leaders to discuss solely economic and social issues, the conference will not focus on political concerns such as Palestine, Syria or Libya". He added that its slogan will be “the individual is at the heart of development”, adding that it will focus on all elements of human capital.
