Fans turn out to welcome Ostapenko home

Fans have turned out in force to welcome French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko home in Latvia.

Latvian tennis player Jelena Ostapenko with her French Open title

Fans have turned out in force to welcome French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko home in Latvia. (AAP)

French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko received a warm welcome in Riga, two days after the Latvian became the first unseeded player to lift the women's trophy at Roland Garros since 1933.

Hundreds of tennis fans greeted Ostapenko as she got off the plane at Riga International Airport with her trophy, waving Latvian flags and holding placards in celebration of the country's first win at a grand slam tennis event.

"I feel really good, I'm happy to be home," Ostapenko said, according to Latvia's national broadcaster, LSM.

The 20-year-old won Saturday's Roland Garros final 4-6 6-4 6-3 against Simona Halep, denying the Romanian the chance to take the top WTA ranking as well as claim her first grand slam title.

"It was unbelievable, the atmosphere in the final was amazing," Ostapenko said, Latvian news agency Leta reported.

"I felt the support of the people in Latvia and in the stands."

With her victory Ostapenko also became the first player to win a debut tour level title at a grand slam since Gustavo Kuerten did it on June 8, 1997 - the day the Latvian was born.

Her win saw her climb up the world rankings from 47 to 12.


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Source: AAP



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