Jelena Ostapenko's shocking Dubai loss days after Qatar Open fireworks draws blunt reaction from tennis insider

Jelena Ostapenko went into the 2025 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on a high after finishing the Qatar TotalEnergies Open as the runner-up. Shockingly though, the Latvian's campaign in Dubai was brutally cut short by Moyuka Uchijima, prompting prominent tennis insider Jose Morgado to react.

Ostapenko's most impressive display in Qatar came in the semifinals against former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The Latvian thoroughly outclassed the Pole, resulting in a 6-3, 6-1 win for the former. Across the earlier rounds of the WTA 1000 event, Ostapenko had ousted the likes of Liudmila Samsonova, Jasmine Paolini, and Ons Jabeur.

Unfortunately for Jelena Ostapenko, there was no such fairytale run at the Dubai Tennis Championships, as World No. 62 Moyuka Uchijima stormed to a 6-3, 6-3 first-round win. In the aftermath of the shocking result, tennis insider Jose Morgado took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:

"The last two weeks can sum up Ostapenko’s career."

Ostapenko, currently ranked No. 26 in singles, was once ranked as high as No. 5. She also won the 2017 French Open. However, inconsistency has marred her career, even though she continues to produce upsets from time to time, as was the case against Swiatek in Doha.

Following her semifinal win against the Pole at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, Ostapenko lost the final against Amanda Anisimova (6-4, 6-3).

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"I was aware I could harm Iga Swiatek" - Jelena Ostapenko after Qatar Open SF win over Pole

Iga Swiatek (left) and Jelena Ostapenko (right) at the 2025 Qatar TotalEnergies Open (Source: Getty)

Jelena Ostapenko became the only player to have defeated Iga Swiatek five times on the WTA Tour with her Doha victory against the Pole. In the aftermath of the dominant win, Ostapenko explained her mentality in the buildup to the match.

"Today I felt very confident, when I stepped onto the court, I was aware that I could harm her, and that is reflected in the past matches we have had. I know perfectly how I should play, so I focused entirely on my tennis, on doing the right thing. I am very proud of how I managed to control my emotions throughout the week and, of course, very happy to be back in the final," Ostapenko said.

However, in the final in Qatar, Ostapenko was not at her best, which allowed a resurgent Amanda Anisimova to clinch the WTA 1000 title. Interestingly, Anisimova too suffered a first-round loss in Dubai to McCartney Kessler.