Dart had suffered a tumble in her final training session on Sunday and she was 0-4 down before many had even settled into their seats, but the 29-year-old did, at least, conjure a superb response, winning the second set 6-3 after losing the first by the same score.<\/p>\n
The decider, though, featured a string of missed opportunities \u2013 by both players \u2013 and while Dart got back to 4-4, she was ground down in the final two games and trudged off with utter disconsolation as Ostapenko apologised to the crowd for ruining the outcome they wanted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know I was not the one you wanted to win,\u201d Ostapenko said. \u201cBut thank you for being so nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
All first-round losers received \u00a380,000, but the money was no consolation for Dart, who said: \u201cThe reality is I was up a break twice, but it\u2019s a long way from the finish line. I mean, when you play players of the stature of Jelena, you know there is one or two points in it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the end that\u2019s what it kind of came down to. It felt like luck wasn\u2019t really in my favour. This is like the first time I have really felt that [energy] here. I really felt their support on my side. It was great to have that kind of experience. It was quite special, actually. It just wasn\u2019t to be.\u201d<\/p>\n