In a battle of experience versus youth, precision versus power, composure versus chaos, there was only going to be one winner on this occasion. For the second time in her career, Germany’s Angelique Kerber is into the women’s final here at the Wimbledon Championships having calmly held her own against the wild unpredictability of Jelena Ostapenko.
In what was the first meeting between the two, the former world No 1 put in a typically mature performance to grind away against her erratic opponent, who was making her first appearance in a Wimbledon quarter-final. Winning 6-3 6-3, it took Kerber just 1hr 7mins to see out victory on Centre Court.
“It was a really tough match,” the German said afterwards. “It’s such a great feeling to be back in the final and be playing on Centre Court. I’m really excited.
“She [Ostapenko] is always fighting until the last point and you have to win the last one so I was just staying focused on every point. It was tough and I’m just happy to be through.
“2017 is over, and I’m really happy about that. It’s 2018 and I’m happy to be back in the final.”
It’s been a long time coming but after the lows of her annus mirabilis Kerber is finally starting to reproduce the sort of tennis that saw her win the Australian Open and US Open in 2016. Crisp, calm and consistent, the 30-year-old was more than happy to take a back seat during Thursday’s quarter-final as her Latvian opponent self-destructed.
Ostapenko fell foul of a staggering 35 unforced errors throughout the match as she conceded point after point to the German, who made just seven. As such, by the seventh game of the opening set Kerber had her first break after a backhand smash from Ostapenko landed far beyond the baseline.
But still the young Latvian pushed on her with smash-and-grab approach. Having hit 15 winners in the first seven games, the 21-year-old refused to tailor her play to the smooth, clinical nature of her opponent’s.
It was fitting, then, that Ostapenko doubled-faulted in the ninth game to hand the German a second break along with the first set. As the architect of her own demise, it was a moment from which the big-hitting young-gun never truly recovered as her focus slowly started to unravel.
Kerber quickly pushed on, using her speed across the court and consistency at the baseline to move 3-0 up in the second set. At this stage in the French Open final two years ago, Ostapenko had rallied to overturn the deficit and grasp victory from the hands of Simona Halep – but there was to be no resurgence this time around.
Thanks a series of sweeping backhand winners, Ostapenko did eventually get her break in the seventh game, though, to bring some late drama to the match. The youngster subsequently held and came out fighting in the following game in a bid to derail Kerber’s unrelenting march to the final.
The Latvian certainly came close, claiming first blood with a thumping forehand winner down the line before taking the game to break. But calling upon the precision of her own baseline strokes and service game, Kerber held on to quash Ostapenko’s fightback. It was a case of too little too late, with the German emerging deserved winner.
