Jelena Ostapenko handled the business impressively against Ons Jabeur on Thursday but one thing she wasn’t happy about at all was the crowd.
Whenever the Tunisian tennis star plays in the Middle East, she receives heavy support.
And that was also the case in her Doha quarterfinal match.
Unfortunately for Jabeur, it didn’t help her much as Ostapenko dominated from the start to finish to claim a 6-2 6-2 win.
Addressing the crowd during her on-court interview, the 2017 French Open champion acknowledged that she respects her Tunisian rival and what she has done for the Middle East.
But then, the Latvian added some of the behavior towards her was disrespectful.
Ostapenko: Not cheering for me made me even more motivated
“Thank you guys, for not cheering for me because it made me even more motivated,” the 27-year-old said.
“But I know there’s some people who were cheering for me. Thank you, guys. Yeah you know I feel like when you’re playing at the stadium when everyone is cheering for your opponent.
“Obviously, it’s great that Onsie playing like a woman in Middle East and she’s representing and playing, it’s amazing what she has done for tennis but you guys made me angry and more motivated so I was playing even better.”
Jelena Ostapenko after beating Ons Jabeur to reach Doha SF
“Thank you guys for not cheering for me… You made me a bit angry and more motivated.”😂
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 13, 2025
Meanwhile, Ostapenko plays against Iga Swiatek today for a place in the Doha final.
Heading into the match, the Latvian has four wins and zero losses against the five-time Grand Slam champion.
However, it should be noted that they haven’t played since the 2023 US Open, when Ostapenko won in three sets.
Tennis World USA