Eastbourne Tennis 2021 finals: How Jelena Ostapenko and Alex De Minaur won, how much prize money earned, what was said

Former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko crunched 24 winners as she beat Estonian Anett Kontaveit 6-3 6-3 in the the final of the Eastbourne International after a brutal display of power hitting
Jelena Ostapenko won her first title on grass at the Eastbourne InternationalJelena Ostapenko won her first title on grass at the Eastbourne International
Jelena Ostapenko won her first title on grass at the Eastbourne International

Ostapenko, 24, took just 67 minutes on the centre court at Devonshire Park to topple Kontaveit and claim her first WTA title for almost two years and her first on grass.

Ostapenko took just 67 minutes to overcome the world No 27 and Ostapenko, ranked No 43 in the world, became only the third wildcard to win the Eastbourne title, emulating Monica Seles in 1996 and Julie Halard-Decugis in 2000.

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Ostapenko, who is the only Latvian to win a Grand Slam singles title, won 78 per cent of her first-service points and for the second successive match served no double faults at all.

The former French Open champion fired down 24 winners on centre courtThe former French Open champion fired down 24 winners on centre court
The former French Open champion fired down 24 winners on centre court

It was a dream start for the Latvian, who picked up where she left off from a resounding victory semi-final yesterday against Elena Rybakina. Her return game this week has been outstanding and she wasted no time in wielding it to her advantage again in the final.

A former semi-finalist at Wimbledon and quarter-finalist in Eastbourne, Ostapenko knows her way around a grass court and today showed that she will be a force to be reckoned with at The Championships this year.

What Ostapenko said

"It's great to win a title before Wimbledon," the world number 43 said.

Estonian Anett Kontaveit was over-powered in 67 minutes by her opponent in the finalEstonian Anett Kontaveit was over-powered in 67 minutes by her opponent in the final
Estonian Anett Kontaveit was over-powered in 67 minutes by her opponent in the final
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"I've enjoyed this week so much. I've got some confidence and now it's time I show some good tennis at Wimbledon."

"I'm really happy with the way I played this week. There were some close moments but I kept on fighting. The semi-final and the final I played at a really high level and that give me confidence.

"I was very calm going into the match. I was expecting a tough match and knew it was going to be hard to play against her.

"I was trying to aggressive and go for the shots when I had the chance. I used drop shots and sometimes slices from the forehand.

Crowd numbers for the final on centre court were drastically reduced due to covid restrictionsCrowd numbers for the final on centre court were drastically reduced due to covid restrictions
Crowd numbers for the final on centre court were drastically reduced due to covid restrictions
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"To play well for the whole tournament is very important because it has been a while since a won a title. It is just the beginning. I think I can get back to the top 10 and start playing well.

"Everything changed in 2017 (after French Open title) it took me a while to get used to it but now I'm enjoying [my tennis] and living in the moment.

"I can be dangerous and play on surfaces. I can adjust and I think its' great that."

Prize money

Australia’s Alex De Minaur fought back from a set down to beat Italian Lorenzo Sonego in three sets.Australia’s Alex De Minaur fought back from a set down to beat Italian Lorenzo Sonego in three sets.
Australia’s Alex De Minaur fought back from a set down to beat Italian Lorenzo Sonego in three sets.

Ostapenko received £49,193 for lifting the title which was a 60 per cent drop on the prize money received 2019.

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Runner-up Kontaveit took a cheque for £36,588 which was down 45 per cent on 2019

Total prize money for the WTA event is $565,530, which is down -43.37 per cent compared to the 2019 total of $998,712.

ATP men's final

Australia’s Alex De Minaur fought back from a set down to beat Italian Lorenzo Sonego in three sets.

The tournament’s second seed won 4-6 6-4 7-6 (5) in a match which lasted just under two hours and 45 minutes.

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De Minaur, the world No18, had yet to drop a set heading into the final, but big-serving Sonego forced home two breaks to put himself in front.

However, De Minaur – bidding for his fifth ATP Tour title and first on grass – regrouped and built on an early break in the first game of the second set to level the match.

There was little to choose between the pair in the decider, which stayed on serve until the tie-break, with De Minaur making the most of a mini-break and hold to open up a 5-2 lead before closing out victory.

Prize money

The total prize money is €547,265, which is down 20 per cent from 2019.

De Minaur received €53,680 in prize money - a 54.5 er cent drop to Taylor Fritz's winner's cheque in 2019.