Ostapenko approaches a return to the top 30 and will compete for the semifinals in Rome today 0 14

The quarterfinal match of the tournament in Rome will take place today no earlier than 14:00 Latvian time on the main court.

Currently, Ostapenko is ranked 36th in the WTA rankings, while Cîrstea is in 27th place and is seeded 26th in the tournament. The two players have met seven times before, with a slight advantage for the Latvian — four wins to three.

The last encounter took place earlier this season at the tournament in Brisbane, where the Romanian athlete emerged victorious.

In Rome, Ostapenko has already had one of her most successful stretches of the season. In her opening match, she easily defeated Italian Lucrezia Stefanini, then overcame Romanian Elena Ruse and Chinese Zheng Qinwen in three sets, and confidently dealt with Russian Anna Kalinskaya in the round of 16 — 6:1, 6:2.

It is particularly important that during the tournament, the Latvian tennis player managed to turn around several challenging matches after losing the first sets. This not only allowed her to reach the quarterfinals but also significantly improved her position in the WTA rankings.

After the tournament, Ostapenko is expected to return to the top 30 of the world rankings. She has already earned 215 ranking points for reaching the quarterfinals.

Cîrstea also approaches the match after a strong performance. The main sensation for the Romanian was her victory over world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the third round. After that, she also defeated Czech Linda Nosková.

The winner of today’s match will face either American Coco Gauff or Russian Mira Andreyeva in the semifinals.

Last season, Ostapenko was stopped in Rome in the round of 16, so this result is already a step forward for her.

In doubles, the Latvian tennis player, along with New Zealander Erin Routliffe, ended their run after the first round.

The WTA 1000 tournament on clay courts in Rome will conclude at the end of the week.