Good afternoon and welcome to third-round Wimbledon coverage of Aryna Sabalenka versus Jelena Ostapenko.
Sabalenka, the top seed, came through her previous two matches in straight sets – beating Teodora Kostovic in round one before seeing off McCartney Kessler in round two. In that second round match, the Belarussian extended her incredible tie-break winning streak record at grand slams to 21.
Speaking afterwards, Sabalenka said: “On a serious note, on the tie-break, I’m willing to focus point by point, not going really too far in the future or staying too much in the past. I think that’s been really working well. I trust my shots on the tie-break. I think that really makes a big difference.
“Every point makes a difference, at the beginning especially. I feel like trusting my shots and staying aggressive on the tie-breaks really helps me to get these incredible stats.”
Ostapenko, a former world No 3, will have her work cut out today.
The Latvian saw off Great Britain’s Harriet Dart in three sets in the first round but had an easier time in her second-round match, coming through in straight sets against Antonia Ruzic in 66 minutes.
On the prospect of facing Sabalenka, Ostapenko said: “I like interesting matches. I think tennis is a big challenge in general, I don’t think those other things are extra challenges. I just take it as another match. She’s a great player but I think I have to do what I have to do and focus more on myself.”
World No 1 Sabalenka is a three-time semi-finalist at SW19, reaching that stage in her last three appearances. Ostapenko reached the last four in 2018 and lost in the first round last year.
Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 3-1 but Ostapenko won their most recent meeting in straight sets in the Stuttgart final last year. Today’s match is their first on grass.
