Latvia's top player Alena Ostapenko successfully overcame the opening round of the French Open. In hot Paris, the Latvian tennis player defeated German athlete Ella Seidel in two sets.
Alena Ostapenko started her campaign at Roland Garros with a victory, advancing to the second round of the tournament.
The Latvian tennis player, ranked 31st in the WTA world rankings and seeded 29th, defeated Germany's Ella Seidel with a score of 6-4, 6-4.
The match took place under challenging conditions — on Monday, the air temperature in Paris exceeded +30 degrees. Due to the heat, this year's French Open is already being called one of the hottest tournament starts in recent years.
Despite the weather conditions, Ostapenko played the match quite confidently and managed to finish the encounter in two sets without prolonged struggle.
Advancing to the second round earned the Latvian tennis player 70 WTA ranking points. Ostapenko's next opponent will be Polish tennis player Magda Linette.
For Ostapenko, the current season has been uneven so far. After her victory over Seidel, her record in 2026 stands at 16 wins and 12 losses. However, she has yet to win any tournaments this season.
Roland Garros remains a special tournament for her. It was in Paris in 2017 that Ostapenko sensationally claimed the championship title, achieving one of the most significant successes in the history of Latvian sports.
However, since that triumph, she has not managed to advance beyond the third round at the French Open. She finished her performance at this stage last year as well.
For 21-year-old Ella Seidel, this match marked her debut in the main draw of Roland Garros. In the previous two seasons, the German tennis player was unable to overcome the qualifying rounds.
Latvia's second-ranked player Daria Semenistaya had previously exited the tournament in the qualifying rounds.
The French Open is the second Grand Slam tournament of the season. The competitions in Paris will last until the following weekend.
