By Chris Oddo | Friday February 26, 2016
Jelena Ostapenko’s improbable run continued in Doha on Friday, as the 18-year-old moved into the finals of the Qatar Total Open when Andrea Petkovic was forced to retire with a lower-body injury in the second set.
Video: Suarez Navarro Tumbles over Right Wrist in Doha
The Latvian, who was down 5-1 when Petkovic began to struggle with her physical form, reeled off six consecutive games before the German pulled the plug.
Ostapenko’s victory assures her of a spot in the WTA’s top-50 next week. It marks the first time that three players aged 18 or younger have been in the Top-50 since 2009.
Ostapenko came to Doha expecting to play qualies, but gained access to the main draw when players withdrew. She made the most of the opportunity, knocking off 12th-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova and 5th-seeded Petra Kvitova in succession to reach the quarterfinals. Yesterday, the Latvian defeated China’s Zheng Saisai in straight sets to reach her first Premier-level final four.
Ostapenko will face Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in the final. All eyes were on Agnieszka Radwanska heading into today’s semifinals after the Pole conducted a sublime shotmaking clinic against Roberta Vinci on Thursday, but it was the Spaniard who outshined Radwanska on this day. Though she took a tumble while chasing down a Radwanska dropper and landed hard on her right wrist early on the second set, Suarez Navarro recovered after seeing the trainer and kept hammering away at Radwanska to cruise to a 6-2, 6-0 victory.
As a result of her triumph Suarez Navarro will rise to No. 6 in the WTA rankings next week, a new career-high. But there’s something else that the Spaniard would like to improve on Saturday: Her lifetime 1-8 record in finals.
Ostapenko reached her only final last year in Quebec City, falling to Annika Beck in straight sets. She has never played Suarez Navarro before.