Osta, the queen of indoor?

Ruse has just put together one of the best weeks of her career in Linz. She beat Boulter in two tight tiebreaks, then came back to defeat Yastremska after losing the first set, showing rare mental strength and fighting spirit. Her serve is effective on this surface, she creates chances on return, and she never lets go. But she comes in with three matches in her legs and accumulated fatigue that could weigh on her in the later stages of a match against a player of Ostapenko’s caliber.

Ostapenko has been flying since the start of the week. Fresh, fully in her tournament, on her best recent surface with a 52-week Match Efficiency on clay of 3.122 compared to 1.625 for Ruse. She beat Eala yesterday without shaking and she is exactly where she likes to be, on this fast indoor clay where her straightforward game and early ball-striking do damage. A final here in 2023 and the title in 2024: Linz suits her well, whatever the surface.