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Baseline Awards: Newest kid on the block

Unseeded—and unafraid—Jelena Ostapenko blasted her way to the Fre

ByVan Sias

Published Dec 24, 2017

Playing with a go-for-broke style, Jelena Ostapenko reached her second career singles final at the Charleston Open in April, losing to Daria Kasatkina in a battle of teenagers.

Ostapenko’s next title-round appearance would come at one of the game’s most prestigious events, the French Open.

And this time, she wouldn’t be denied.

Ostapenko defeated world No. 2 Simona Halep for the title, the perfect finale to her surprising run through the tournament. The 20-year-old Latvian didn’t hold anything back, relying on her powerful groundstrokes and aggressive mind-set to become the first unseeded female player to win the title in more than 80 years. Her ranking shot up to the Top 15 after the tournament.

Ostapenko avoided a letdown at her next Grand Slam tournament, reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. While the US Open didn’t go as planned, she still managed to crack the Top 10 soon after.

And at the end of September, she won the second title of her career at the Korea Open. Ostapenko managed to make the field at the WTA Finals and finished the year at No. 7.

It’s been an impressive rise the past few years for the youngster, culminating with a major breakthrough. At the rate she’s been going, 2018 promises even better things.

Follow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias