Krejcikova and Ostapenko set to meet in Birmingham final

By James Reid

Two French Open champions will face off in the final of the LTA’S Rothesay Classic Birmingham after Jelena Ostapenko and Barbora Krejcikova both sealed semi-final victories on Saturday.

Top seed Krejcikova made simpler work of her task, beating Lin Zhu 6-3 6-2 before Ostapenko battled back from a set down to beat Anastasia Potapova 5-7 6-2 6-4.

Zhu came into the contest with plenty of confidence, having already got past British No.1 Katie Boulter and third seed Magda Linette on her way to the last four, but Krejcikova was ultimately too strong, converting all four break point opportunities afforded to her in ruthless showing.

Ostapenko’s victory was less straightforward, as fourth seed Potapova took a one set lead after decisively breaking to snatch the opener 7-5.

But Ostapenko, who was victorious in Roland Garros in 2017, broke twice to win the second set before carving out the decisive break midway through the third set and seeing out victory.

And the Latvian, who has now won all four of her matches in Birmingham in three sets, was thrilled to have made it through another tough encounter.

She said: “Honestly, I don’t know how I did it, every match has been really tough. It is never easy and I always play a little bit up and down but I am happy I came through.

“It is important to win these matches when you are not playing your best and you fight for every point and then you play well in the deciding moments.”

The contest was a first grass court semi-final for 22-year-old Potapova, and the Russian reflected on a strong week ahead of appearances at the LTA’s Rothesay International Eastbourne and Wimbledon.

She said: “I feel pretty confident now, especially on the grass as this was the first week of the year in two years.

“To play a semi-final at such a good event, it gives me a lot of confidence. It was a very positive week for me.

“I am proud of what I have done, I think I matched her speed pretty well, I am just looking forward to the next week.”

For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website