US Open 2017: Wasteful French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko out of US Open

ByEurosport

Updated 02/09/2017 at 23:07 GMT

French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko was knocked out of the US Open third round, losing 6-3 6-2 to Russian Daria Kasaktina after hitting a massive 38 unforced errors on Saturday.

Jelena Ostapenko at Open 2017

Image credit: Getty Images

The Latvian 12th seed, who broke into the limelight in June when she blasted her way to the Roland Garros title, got off to a fast start but the unseeded Kasaktina mixed her game with sliced backhands and chopped forehands to slow her opponent down.

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The plan worked as after winning the first three games, Ostapenko grew frustrated and bowed out when she netted a backhand on the second match point at the end of a lung-busting rally.

Ostapenko complained of nausea and illness during the match.

"I was not feeling 100 per cent today, I was not feeling good already at the beginning of the day. I couldn't give my 100 per cent today, like not my best," she said.

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It has been, however, a breakthrough year for the 20-year-old Ostapenko after she reached the third round at the Australian Open and the last eight at Wimbledon after lifting the Suzanne Lenglen Cup in Paris.

"In general, I think it was not bad. Of course, I expected to play better here, but unfortunately, couldn't give my best today," she said.

Ostapenko complained of nausea and illness during the match.

"In the beginning I was a little bit nervous but I tried to stay focused and play my game and it paid off," said Kasaktina, who faces Estonian qualifier Kaia Kanepi for a place in the quarter-finals.

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Kaia Kanepi of Estonia beat Japanese youngster Naomi Osaka 6-3 2-6 7-5 to reach the fourth round.

The 32-year-old, who is making a comeback after a long spell out due to illness and injury, will play Russian Kasatkina next.

Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open for the second time in four years with a 6-3 6-2 win over Japan's Kurumi Nara.

Fourth seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine put in a clinical performance as she beat unseeded American Shelby Rogers 6-4 7-5 in the third round.

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Svitolina, who is in the fourth round of the U.S. Open for the first time, could meet either 17th-seeded Russian Elena Vesnina or 15th seed Madison Keys of the United States next.

American Jennifer Brady fought past Romanian Monica Niculescu 6-3 4-6 7-6(3) and will meet top seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the fourth round.

Brady served six aces and hit 46 winners, but will need to improve on her 52 unforced errors if she is to give herself a chance of reaching the quarter-finals at the expense of world number one Pliskova.