Jeļena Ostapenko was recently involved in an unusual incident with Laura Siegemund at the 2026 Australian Open. While playing their doubles match at the Grand Slam tournament, Ostapenko aimed a shot toward Siegemund’s face, causing her to fall to the ground.
In the doubles event at the Melbourne Major, Ostapenko has teamed up with Hsieh Su-wei, and they are seeded third in the tournament. Meanwhile, Siegemund and Sofia Kenin have partnered together and are seeded 13th. Last year, Ostapenko and Hsieh finished as the runners-up, losing to Kateřina Siniaková and Taylor Townsend in the final.
Jeļena Ostapenko Hits Laura Siegemund in the Face During Australian Open Doubles 3R Match
Ostapenko and Hsieh began their campaign at the 2026 Australian Open by defeating Olivia Gadecki and Desirae Krawczyk with a score of 7-5, 6-2 in the first round. They advanced to the third round after their second-round opponents, Olga Danilović and Anastasia Potapova, withdrew from the event.
In the third round, Ostapenko and Hsieh faced Siegemund and Kenin, winning the match with a score of 6-3, 6-2. During this match, while Ostapenko and Siegemund were engaged in a rally, the Latvian hit a shot aimed at Siegemund’s face. The German attempted to block the shot, but as she turned, she lost her balance and fell to the ground.
Looking ahead, Ostapenko and Hsieh will compete against the fifth-seeded pair of Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani in the quarterfinals of the doubles event at the 2026 Australian Open.
The winner of this match will face either the defending champions, the top-seeded pair of Siniaková and Townsend, or the seventh-seeded duo of Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunić in the semifinals.
In addition to her doubles campaign, Ostapenko also participated in the singles event at the Australian Open, while Siegemund competed in singles and mixed doubles. The former World No. 5 was seeded 24th in the singles event, where she defeated Rebecca Šramková (6-4, 6-4) in the first round and then lost to Wang Xinyu (6-4, 4-6, 4-6) in the second round.
On the other hand, Siegemund eliminated 18th seed Liudmila Samsonova (0-6, 7-5, 6-4) in her opening match before falling to qualifier Maddison Inglis (4-6, 7-6(3), 6-7(7))Â in the next round.
In the mixed doubles event, Siegemund partnered with Édouard Roger-Vasselin. They defeated the top-seeded pair of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori (6-4, 6-2) in the first round, and their run ended after being eliminated by the defending champions, wildcards Olivia Gadecki and John Peers (3-6, 6-3, [5-10]), in the second round of the competition.
