Jelena Ostapenko beats Barbora Krejcikova for second grass title in Birmingham
Ostapenko upset the top seed to win her first title of 2023 at the Rothesay Classic on Sunday.
FLASHBACK: Ostapenko scored an emotional win over former No. 1 Venus Williams earlier in the week.
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Jelena Ostapenko staved off a late comeback to beat top-seeded Barbora Krejcikova in the Birmingham Classic final on Sunday to win her second title on grass.
In a battle of the top two seeds and former French Open champions, it was the second-seeded Latvian who came out on top, winning 7-6 (8), 6-4.
Krejcikova hadn't dropped a set all week coming into the championship match. But it was Ostapenko who secured a tight opening set at her fourth opportunity in the tiebreaker.
Ostapenko then raced to a 5-1 lead to leave her on the brink of victory before Krejcikova responded by winning three games in a row.
"I was really close from 5-1 to 5-4 but then I managed somehow and I'm really, really happy about it," said Ostapenko, who had four three-set matches before the final.
"I was fighting every match. I played five great matches, this was the only match in two sets. It's a great preparation for Wimbledon and there's still a couple of things I can do better."
It was Ostapenko's sixth singles title and her second on grass after triumphing at Eastbourne in 2021.