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Jelena Ostapenko progressed to the fourth round of the 2023 US Open after edging past Bernarda Pera in a three-set affair.
Ostapenako, seeded No. 20, had to come back from a set down to enter the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time in her career. Pera took an early lead in the contest, 6-4. However, the Latvian showed her grit to rally back and win the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. While the encounter had its ups and downs on the court, off-court activities were also in the spotlight, as Ostapenko had to tell a disruptive spectator to leave the stands during the match.
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The clip of the 26-year-old waving off the fan has gone viral on social media and sparked a wave of reactions from tennis fans, the majority of whom hailed Ostapenko for dealing with such unruly behavior in the correct manner.
One fan even joked that she deserves to win the US Open just for that telling off, while another compared her to Daniil Medvedev, who also argued with some fans during his second-round match.
"She deserves the trophy just for this," a fan wrote.
"Penko knows how to keep the fans in check, love her! Medvedev will be proud," another fan quipped.
"I can’t stop laughing SHE IS SO FUNNY," one fan wrote on X.
"Queen Behavior! Even the crowd is happy he's gone," wrote another fan.
"LOLOL oh she’s gonna be at it with the Polish fans from the warmup," said a fan.
Here are some more fan reactions to Jelena Ostapenko's altercation:
Iga Swiatek awaits Jelena Ostapenko in R4 at US Open
In her first-ever fourth-round match at the US Open, Jelena Ostapenko will face World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
History is on the Latvian's side as she has emerged victorious in all three previous matches against the Pole, most recently at the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships. However, getting past Swiatek this time could be difficult for Ostapenko as she will enter the contest after three marathon three-set matches.
She began her campaign in New York with a win against Jasmine Paolini, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. The 26-year-old then went on to defeat Elina Avanesyan in the second round, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, and Bernarda Pera in the third round, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. This means that the Latvian has played nearly six hours of tennis in Flushing Meadows, compared to Swiatek, who has won all her matches in straight sets in a combined three hours and 30 minutes approximately.
Jelena Ostapenko is on the hunt for her second Grand Slam quarterfinal of the year after reaching the last eight in Melbourne in January. US Open remains the only Major where she has not reached the quarterfinals yet. Her best result in New York is three third-round appearances in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
