ADELAIDE: Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko and young Czech Jiri Lehecka completed the perfect build-up to the Australian Open today by claiming the Adelaide International titles.
Big-hitting Lehecka bounced back from losing the first set to beat Briton Jack Draper and claim a maiden ATP Tour crown 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Sixth seed Ostapenko surged back into the world's top 10 for the first time since 2018 by beating Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-2 for a seventh WTA Tour title.
She won the first set and broke to start the second but had trouble closing out victory, taking four match points to get the job done in 76 minutes.
"This is great, I had some really tough matches this week," said former French Open champion Ostapenko after collecting her first title since Dubai in 2022.
"I enjoyed every moment of playing here. I can't wait to come back, it's so nice to be in Australia."
Britain's Draper started well but his level began to suffer as Lehecka took charge in a championship match lasting 2hr 8mins.
"It's so emotional to win my first title here," Lehecka said after a battle of the 22-year-olds. "I'm super excited.
"It feels amazing, it's a dream come true for me. I always wanted to win a trophy, so it's even better that I won it here in Adelaide.
"I'm happy for the win. This is a great way to start the year."
Lehecka will rise three spots to a career-high 23 in the world on Monday, with the victory making him the first Czech to claim an ATP title since Jiri Vesely in Pune in 2020.
"This is what I train for," Draper said.
"Jiri played incredible tennis and won his first title, the same thing I was trying for.
"He deserved it, he was the better player today. This is my second year here and I went one farther than my semi-final last year." — AFP