Qinwen Zheng (Twitter)
5th seed Jelena Ostapenko locks horns with Chinese No. 2 Qinwen Zheng in the round of 16 of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open on Wednesday.
The Latvian No. 1 had a blistering start to the season as she defeated former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 in the round of 32. However, she was comprehensively beaten by Irina-Camelia Begu in the following round. Things didn’t get any better at the Adelaide International 2 as Ostapenko lost to Anna Kalinskaya in the round of 32. In the Australian Open, Ostapenko fared better and reached the quarterfinals for the first time at the event. She defeated Dayana Yastremska, Anna Bondar, Kateryna Baindl, and Coco Gauff before losing to eventual finalist Elena Rybakina.
In the first round of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open, Ostapenko won two competitive sets against Danielle Collins to progress to the next round. The match ended 7-5,1-6, 7-5 in favor of Ostapenko.
Like Ostapenko, Zheng also had a fine start to the season as she defeated 8th seed Anett Kontaveit in the first round of the Adelaide International 1. The similarity with Ostapenko’s start didn’t end there as like her upcoming opponent, Zheng also lost in the round of 16. In Adelaide International 2, Zheng managed to reach the main draw by winning a couple of qualifying matches. In the first round of the main draw, she came back from a set down to beat Shelby Rogers. Zheng retired after losing the first set of her second-round clash against Petra Kvitova.
The 20-year-old defeated Dalma Galfi in the first round of the Australian Open before losing to Bernarda Pera in the second round. In the round of 32 of the Abu Dhabi Open, Zheng made light work of Rebecca Marino. The former won the match in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.
Qinwen Zheng has a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head scoreline against Jelena Ostapenko. The Chinese star defeated the former Grand Slam champion in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the 2022 US Open.
Prediction: Jelena Ostapenko to win in three sets.
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