Ostapenko dumped out of Shenzhen

BEIJING: Former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko’s poor form continued on Tuesday when she suffered a swift defeat at the hands of Romanian Monica Niculescu at the Shenzhen Open. Ranked 99th in the world, Niculescu swept past the Latvian world number 22 in less than an hour in a straight sets 6-0, 6-2 victory. “I played all the week great,” said Niculescu, beaming and waving to a cheering crowd in a post-match interview. “I think I played a solid game and I’m very happy that in the second set I could come back from 0-2,” she added. The loss to Niculescu in Shenzhen follows a series of disappointing China tournaments for the Latvian. — AFP