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The irony of Rennae Stubbs interviewing and praising Jelena Ostapenko for her win against Iga Swiatek at the 2023 US Open was not lost on tennis fans.
On Sunday, September 3, Ostapenko and Swiatek clashed in the fourth round in New York. The Latvian, who entered the match with a flawless 3-0 head-to-head record against the World No. 1, extended her mastery over Swiatek by coming from a set down to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 and reach the quarterfinals.
Ostapenko's post-match interview was done by former doubles World No. 1 Stubbs, during which she congratulated the World No. 21 on ending Swiatek's title defense. The Australian's words were in stark contrast to her views from earlier this year, when she responded to a fan by stating that Ostapenko was uncoachable.
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"She is uncoachable," Stubbs said in January 2023.
Several fans were quick to bring up Stubbs' past views and take a dig at her, while also praising Ostapenko. One pointed out the irony of the 52-year-old speaking to Ostapenko after a big win.
"Rennae interviewing Penko as one of her biggest haters," said the fan.
Another fan stated that getting interviewed and praised by her "biggest hater" was a "flex" for Ostapenko.
"Getting interviewed by your biggest high profile hater and forcing her to congratulate and praise you after just beating world number one and ending her dominant reign. What a flex," the fan said.
Here are a few more fan reactions:
"It's going to be a very tough match" - Jelena Ostapenko to face Coco Gauff in US Open 2023 QFs
Next up for Jelena Ostapenko is a quarterfinal clash with Coco Gauff. The pair have split their two prior meetings, with Ostapenko most recently knocking out the American at the Australian Open this year.
Ahead of their clash, the World No. 21 acknowledged that Gauff was a talented player, before adding that she would focus on herself without giving too much thought to who was on the other side of the net.
"Of course, it's going to be a very tough match. She's a great young player. I played her in Australia. It was a great match. I will try to focus on myself and enjoy it. It's great to be in quarterfinals, especially here in New York," Ostapenko said at a press conference.
While Ostapenko expects Gauff to be backed by a boisterous home crowd, the 26-year-old stressed that she would rather focus on her recovery and preparations than any external factors.
"I mean, that's what it is. She's playing at home. I mean, it's normal. The crowd is going to be for sure, like, supporting her a lot. But I think that's fine because she's playing at home. Of course, it's going to be a tough match. But I'm going to, again, as I said, focus more on myself and on my game, recovery, tomorrow practice, be ready for the next one," she added.
The winner of the match between Gauff and Ostapenko will face either Sorana Cirstea or Karolina Muchova in the US Open semifinals.
