Jelena Ostapenko
13th seed Jelena Ostapenko takes on Ukrainian qualifier Katarina Zavatska in the round of 64 of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday.
The Latvian No. 1 began the season with an exit in the second round of the Adelaide International 1. In the Adelaide International 2, Ostapenko lost to Anna Kalinskaya in the first round. The Australian Open followed and Ostapenko made it to the quarterfinals with wins against Dayana Yastremska, Anna Bondar, Kateryna Baindl, and Coco Gauff. Ostapenko eventually lost to Elena Rybakina. This was Ostapenko’s first appearance in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
In the Abu Dhabi Open, the 25-year-old lost to Qinwen Zheng in the second round. Prior to the Dubai Tennis Championships, Ostapenko lost to Jessica Pegula in the second round of the Qatar Open in an intriguing three-set encounter.
After losing to Erika Andreeva in the second round of qualifying of the Australian Open, Zavataska also failed to make it to the main draw of the Abu Dhabi Open. She lost to Leylah Fernandez in the second round of qualifying. Zavatska was ousted by Rebecca Marino in the first round of qualifying of the Qatar Open.
The 23-year-old made it to the main draw of a tournament for the first time in 2023 at the Dubai Tennis Championships. In the first round of qualifying, she came back from a set down to defeat Madison Brengle. In the following round of qualifying, Zavatska defeated Stefania Bojica in straight sets to set up a clash with Ostapenko.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 1-0 in favor of Katarina Zavatska. She faced Ostapenko in the round of 32 of the 2019 Tashkent Open. The Ukrainian athlete won the match when Ostapenko retired while trailing 3-6, 4-5.
Prediction: Jelena Ostapenko to win in straight sets.
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