WATCH: Ostapenko Covers Ears And Gives Frosty Handshake After French Open Loss

WTA
Saturday, 28 May 2022 at 08:00
Updated at Tuesday, 09 July 2024 at 06:08
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Jelena Ostapenko is known for her feisty personality on-court, and she demonstrated that by not taking her French Open defeat to Alize Cornet well.

It has been a few months since Ostapenko was playing outstanding tennis in February. This led to her winning the title in Dubai, before backing it up with another solid run to the semifinal in Doha.

Unfortunately, the 2017 champion at Roland-Garros has endured a pretty torrid time since then. She lost four consecutive matches after Dubai in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome, before ending that barren streak in the first round of the French Open.

Ostapenko will have hoped to build on her first round triumph against the home favourite Alize Cornet on Court Phillippe-Chatrier. Facing a local player is never easy, but the Latvian's powerful game is tough to stop when it is firing.

However, the 24-year-old did not get the happy ending she wanted in the second round. Despite recovering from a terrible opening set to force a decider, Ostapenko slipped to a 0-6 6-1 3-6 defeat.

Cornet was understandably ecstatic after clinching a great victory in front of her home fans. But Osapenko, who always wears her heart on her sleeve, did not hide her displeasure after suffering a sixth loss in seven matches.

As can be seen in the video below, the home crowd let out an almighty roar after Cornet got over the line. Ostapenko clearly showed her irritation by cupping her ears to block out the noise as she approached the net to shake Cornet's hand.

The Latvian's actions did not end there. Ostapenko did not look Cornet in the eye when shaking hands, deliberately turning the other way as she did so. This may have come as a surprise to the Frenchwoman, who went to the net in a friendly manner.

Whether fans agree with Ostapenko's actions or not, she is certainly a unique personality in the women's game.

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