"This is QUEEN double fault energy";"Got blinded by her own outfit" - Fans hilariously react to Jelena Ostapenko's 'bizarre' serve in Eastbourne 2R

Jelena Ostapenko's unbelievably wayward serve at the 2024 Rothesay International in Eastbourne has sparked hilarious reactions from tennis fans. The Latvian's mishap took place during her second-round clash against Katie Boulter.

In her final preparatory tournament on grass before the Wimbledon Championships, Ostapenko claimed a 7-6(3), 6-1 win over Greet Minnen to kick off her campaign at the WTA 500 event in Eastbourne.

Taking on a formidable opponent in Nottingham champion Boulter in the second round, the World No. 13 found herself on the brink of losing the opening set while trailing 5-3. As she served at 40-40 to keep the set alive, the 27-year-old hit a crucial double fault.

Jelena Ostapenko's errant second serve prompted audible gasps from the crowd as it landed in the doubles alley adjacent to the wrong service box.

Tennis fans were left baffled by Ostapenko's "bizarre" serve, poking fun at the erratic fluctuations in the Latvian's level.

"I will say this for Ostapenko: every single clip of her is hilarious. Sometimes it's because she's hitting like 80 winners in a match. Sometimes it's because she's refusing to shake hands. Sometimes it's bizarre shanked serves. She's box office baby," one fan commented.

"The spectrum of how she makes her tennis look brilliant and absolutely awful is so interesting," another fan wrote.

One fan, meanwhile, joked about the World No. 13 being distracted by her own eye-catching pink and blue outfit.

"Got blinded by her own outfit," the fan posted.

"Her outfit is giving toothpaste," another fan chimed in.

Others humorously suggested that the Latvian's double fault gave off "queen energy."

"This is QUEEN DF energy. It doesnt matter where it goes because Queen Penko said so," one fan wrote.

"Queen icon legend and the moment," said another.

One fan also lamented about Jelena Ostapenko not displaying such errors when facing Iga Swiatek, against whom she enjoys a perfect 4-0 record. Meanwhile, another fan shared a clip of a similar misfired serve by the World No. 1.

"Why doesnt she play like that when she plays you know who...," a fan posted, alluding to Iga Swiatek.

"It's giving," another fan shared alongside a clip of Swiatek's errant serve.

Katie Boulter defeats Jelena Ostapenko to reach Eastbourne QF

Katie Boulter beats Jelena Ostapenko (Source: Getty)

Jelena Ostapenko's double fault proved critical as Katie Boulter capitalized on it to clinch the opening set 6-4. Boulter then edged past the Latvian in the second set to claim a 6-4, 7-5 victory, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Rothesay International in Eastbourne.

Following her win over Ostapenko, the Brit will battle it out against third seed Jasmine Paolini for a place in the semifinals of the WTA 500 event. Although the World No. 13's singles campaign has ended, she is through to the doubles semifinals alongside partner Lyudmyla Kichenok.

Jelena Ostapenko and Kichenok await the result of Sloane Stephens and Hsieh Su-wei's clash against Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden to determine their semifinal opponents.