2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko takes on former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in the round of 32 of the Adelaide International on Tuesday.
The Latvian star had a better season in the doubles circuit compared to singles in 2022. She equaled her best result at the Australian Open by making it to the third round in singles. Ostapenko won her only singles title in 2022 when she defeated Veronika Kudermetova in the finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Ostapenko made her debut in the WTA Finals as she played the doubles event alongside Lyudmyla Kichenok. The duo was ousted in the semis by top seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova. Ostapenko is currently placed at No. 18 in the WTA singles rankings. She will look to build some momentum ahead of the 2023 Australian Open.
The 30-year-old finished her season in 2022 with a disappointing campaign at the Guadalajara Open. She crashed an out in the first round following a loss in straight sets against Elena Rybakina. Pliskova’s season started a bit late as she had to miss the Australian swing owing to a hand injury suffered during training.
She struggled with a lack of form and consistency. Her best result came in the National Bank Open where she made it to the semifinals. Pliskova will be hopeful of turning things around in the new season.
Karolina Pliskova has a 5-3 lead in the head-to-head scoreline against Jelena Ostapenko. The former won their most recent encounter at the quarterfinals of the 2021 Italian Open in three sets.
Prediction: Jelena Ostapenko to win in three sets.
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