Jelena Ostapenko took the first match in a closely contested battle with a scoreline of 62 57 75 against Ankita Raina to make it a 1-0 lead for Latvia.
Excerpts from her press conference after the match
Thoughts on the game
I am not happy about the game today. I am happy with the way I fought. I was able to not play my best and still get my team the point. In general, it was tough to play Ankita Raina. She plays a different game. She was making quite a few strange shots. It is difficult to comment – she is normally playing at the ITF level and I am playing on the WTA Tour.
It was tough to play someone whom you have never seen play before. I could only see her YouTube videos to assess her game. So it was a bit hard.
You seemed a bit frustrated after the match. What specifically were you frustrated with?
I was not even playing 30% of the level that I can play. Ankita Raina was playing a very strange game. The court was super slow. I also felt pain in my back and so could not serve properly. Hopefully I will feel better in the coming days.
The last 3 games. You really stepped up your game. Did you change anything in your game?
I just knew that I am the better player. My results prove it. I knew she can’t play a high level throughout the match. I had this confidence that I am better than her and that confidence helped me to play well on the crucial points.
So even after playing really bad from my side, I managed to win it.
