Ostapenko becomes 'unseeded' WTA Champion at France Open

Ostapenko becomes 'unseeded' WTA Champion at France Open. June. 12, 2017 07:19. by Kyu-In Hwang kini@donga.com. "Her life is like this: everything very fast. She hits fast, walks fast, talks fast."

It was an introduction made by 35-year-old coach Anabel Medina Garrigues of Latvian tennis player Jeļena Ostapenko (ranked 47th) who recently won the women's single at the 2017 France Open and is gaining wide attention as the new cinderella on the tennis courts.

The 20-year-old won a losing game with the final score of 2-1 (4-6, 6-4, 6-3) to world's fourth-ranking Rumanian player Simona Halep at the finals held at Roland Garros on Sunday. As her coach said, Ostapenko is fast at everything once she makes up her mind.

She was the first Latvian to make it to the finals at a major tennis competition, and also grabbed the trophy at the finals. Until now, she failed to survive no longer than three rounds at a major tournament. Let alone major competitions, Ostapenko never won any Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour.

Just four days ago, she was a teenager, and indeed she is still full of secrets. Even Latvia President Andris Bērziņš failed to get her phone number, and had to congratulate her via her mother. "I still don't want to tell my phone number to the president," smiled Ostapenko. Meanwhile, Halep lost both the chance to win her first major title and become the world's No. 1 player.