Jelena Ostapenko claimed she was very confident that she would beat Iga Swiatek again because of their head-to-head record following their Doha match.
On Friday, the unseeded Latvian crushed the second-seeded Pole 6-3 6-1 in the Qatar Open semifinal.
Following her win, Ostapenko improved to an absolutely impressive 5-0 head-to-head versus the five-time Grand Slam champion.
Previously, the world No. 37 won their meetings in 2019 Birmingham, 2021 Indian Wells, 2022 Dubai, and the 2023 US Open.
Also, it was her third straight-set win over the former world No. 1.
“I was pretty confident that I would beat her, because we’ve played a lot of matches and I know how to play against her,” the Latvian said in her on-court interview.
“I was more focusing on myself and what I had to do. I’m happy with the way I’m handling my emotions this week.”
Ostapenko: I knew what to expect
In the first set, the 2017 French Open champion registered breaks in the first and ninth games to routinely win the first set.
In the next set, the former world No. 5 started with back-to-back breaks and a 4-0 lead.
Swiatek managed to get one break back in the fifth game but it didn’t help much since she lost her serve again in the sixth game and the match was closed out in the following game.
Further reflecting on her win, Ostapenko confidently said that she knew what Swiatek would bring to the match.
“Obviously I was preparing for the match, and I pretty much knew what to expect from her,” the 27-year-old added.
“I don’t know, sometimes I know where the ball’s coming, but sometimes I’m just going with my feelings and my instincts, so that helps me.”
For the Doha title, Ostapenko will battle against Amanda Anisimova, who ousted Amanda Anisimova with a 6-3 6-3 scoreline.
Tennis World USA