Ajla Tomljanovic has misplaced one other drama-charged match towards Jelena Ostapenko, though the Latvian this time saved most of her spit-fire for her personal field.
The Australian was bidding to make the third spherical of the Open for the primary time however fell to world No.10 Ostapenko 6-0 3-6 6-4, leaving Storm Hunter as the one native hope remaining within the ladies’s singles draw.
With a variety of the ladies’s seeds tumbling out, together with 2023 finalist Elena Rybakina, veteran Ostapenko will now be favoured to prime her earlier greatest at Melbourne Park which was final yr’s quarter-final exhibiting.
The victory continued her spectacular type after the 2017 French Open champion received the lead-in match in Adelaide.
The Thursday night time showdown, which did not end till after midnight, was a rematch of their notorious conflict at Wimbledon in 2021.
Then Ostapenko – 4-0 down within the remaining set – insisted she wanted a medical timeout for an stomach damage with a livid Tomljanovic telling the chair that her opponent was “mendacity”.
Ostapenko received the following two video games however Tomljanovic went on to take the set and match.
The 2 then exchanged phrases on the web, earlier than buying and selling barbs of their respective press conferences.
This time, Ostapenko saved her anger for her teaching field, sending a lot of them out of the stadium as she misplaced her approach within the second set.
Within the first set, the aggressive 26-year-old was unstoppable, with Tomljanovic railed 6-0 in simply 19 minutes.
The Australian, who was dominated out of the 2023 Open in tears with a knee damage that ruined her season, left the court docket and reset for the second set.
Whereas Ostapenko’s serve went lacking Tomljanovic confirmed her poise to interrupt to go forward 3-2 after which blasted a forehand winner on her third set level to degree at a set apiece.
The pair each dropped their serves early within the third however then Ostapenko broke a second time to go up 4-2 and from wrapped up the match.
The pair embraced on the web, with smiles throughout.
Ostapenko mentioned she knew it might be powerful to keep up her excessive commonplace after the primary set.
“Generally, when the primary set goes too simple, once you play too effectively, it is type of the toughest a part of the sport as I knew it was not going to be simple within the second set as a result of I performed very well within the first ,” she mentioned.
“I am actually glad I managed to win within the third and I am comfortable to be via.”
The Latvian will subsequent meet Belarusian two-time champion Victoria Azarenka, the 18th seed who additionally prevailed in a troublesome encounter 6-4 3-6 6-2 with Dane Clara Tauson.