The world No. 12 Veronika Kudermetova locks horns with former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the round of 16 of the Guadalajara Open on Thursday.
The 25-year-old reached the finals in Melbourne to start the year on a solid note. She has continued in the same vein with some fine results this year. She reached her second final of the year at the Dubai Tennis Championships where she lost to Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets 6-0, 6-4. In the Istanbul Open, Kudermetova once again fell short in the final. The Russian tennis pro made it to four semi-finals after the Istanbul Open, the most recent one being at the Jasmin Open.
In the round of 32 of the Guadalajara Open, Kudermetova squared off against the San Diego Open finalist Donna Vekic. The former came out victorious in straight sets 6-4, 7-5.
The Latvian star has blown hot and cold this season. She made it to the semi-finals in St. Petersburg and followed it up with a strong performance in Dubai to win the title. In the Qatar Open, she reached the semi-finals but lost four matches on the trot from thereon. Ostapenko made it to the finals in Eastbourne where she lost to Petra Kvitova. At the Korea Open, she had a strong run to the finals.
In the round of 64 of the Guadalajara Open, Ostapenko made light work of Lauren Davis, winning the match in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. The round of 32 saw Ostapenko take on the 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard. Ostapenko had to dig deep to win the match 7-5, 2-6, 6-1.
The head-to-head scoreline stands at 1-0 in favor of Jelena Ostapenko.
Prediction: Veronika Kudermetova to win in three sets.
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