Jelena Ostapenko is rising fast!

The Latvian sensation reaches the Roland Garros final after beating Timea Bacsinszky in 3 sets. The semifinal was a mental battle: the Swiss grabbed a fast 2-0 lead in the opener, but Jelena managed to break back immediately to win the opener in the tiebreak. The match became a thriller in the decider after Timea managed to win the second set 6-3. After three consecutive breaks, Jelena conquered a 3-1 lead, but Bacsinszky fought back to make it even (3-3). At that moment, it was expected that Timea would have taken the lead, but it was the Latvian that got the situation in her hands once again to concede only 3 points in the following three games and win the contest 7-6 (4) 3-6 6-3.

In the end, Jelena scored only 1 point more that her opponent (106 vs. 105) while the youngster blasted 45 winners vs. Bacsinszky’s 19.

Average forehand speed Andy Murray: 73 MPH

Average forehand speed for Jelena Ostapenko: 76 MPH

👏😎#RG17 pic.twitter.com/qf2vLZZl5R

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 8, 2017

Happy 20th Birthday to Jelena Ostapenko. Now…go play a Slam semifinal @rolandgarros. pic.twitter.com/JwH0uJkSr0

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) June 8, 2017

A nice gift for my birthday. OSTAPENKO

In the post-match interview, Jelena commented

“The match was really tough; I think it was a battle. I’m really happy to be in the final, especially on my birthday. I think it’s a nice gift!

I was just trying to stay aggressive and to go for a shot when I could. I think it was kind of important that I won the first set, even the second I lost, but in the third set I found my game again.”

The final vs. Halep

Jelena will lay an in-form Simona Halep in the final. They have never played each other so far. Simona is the clear favorite to win the trophy, but you’ll never know what the Latvian can do on a given day.