NEW YORK -- No.7 seeds Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmila Kichenok have barrelled through the draw at the US Open to book a spot in their second major final of the season.
This means Lil' Wayne has one more chance to see his favorite tennis player live.
US Open: Scores | Draw | Order of play
Earlier this year, Ostapenko gave an interview on Tennis Channel telling the world that her favorite part of attending a Drake concert was Lil' Wayne. The rapper reposted the interview on his Instagram account and thanked the former French Open champion, saying "Thanks for the luv."
Read: Is Lil' Wayne Ostapenko's biggest fan? Yes.
At Wimbledon, Ostapenko went on Tennis Channel again and invited the rapper to attend one of her matches. The two exchanged messages and the Latvian invited him to the US Open, to which he eagerly responded, "I'mma have to pull up!"
Lil' Wayne hasn't popped up at the USTA Billie Jean National Tennis Center yet, but Ostapenko was happy to re-issue the standing invitation after sealing a spot in Friday's final.
This is a message for @LilTunechi 👀 pic.twitter.com/cSGdOA8DCO
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2024
Champions in Brisbane and Eastbourne this season, Ostapenko and Kichenok entered the US Open sitting at No.4 on the PIF Doubles Race to the WTA Finals. They have not lost a set in the tournament and dropped just three games in the semifinals, defeating No.10 seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Veronika Kudermetova 6-1, 6-2 on Wednesday.
Ostapenko and Kichenok will take on the unseeded duo of Kristina Mladenovic and Zhang Shuai, who have upended three of the Top 5 seeds to make the final. Grand Slam champions separately, this is the first team final for the experienced duo.
Mladenovic is a six-time Grand Slam doubles champion and is looking to win her first in New York. Zhang is a two-time major champion, having lifted the 2021 US Open trophy with Sam Stosur.
Mladenovic magic 🌟 pic.twitter.com/5kRnXm96pY
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2024
Mladenovic and Zhang opened their tournament with a resounding 6-2, 6-3 win over No.2 seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Elise Mertens and have not looked back. After defeating No.5 seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez in the quarterfinals, they edged No.3 seeds and reigning Wimbledon champions Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in the semifinals.
Mladenovic and Zhang's dream run continues 🙌 The pair knock out the reigning Wimbledon champs for a spot in the US Open final! pic.twitter.com/GyI6u0RNF7
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2024