Belarusian No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face the Latvian ace Jelena Ostapenko in the second round of the 2019 WTA Zhengzhou Open on Thursday. The match will start at 2:00 pm local time (7:00 am BST) and here, you will find the Aryna Sabalenka v Jelena Ostapenko live streaming options with the preview.
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Aryna Sabalenka v Jelena Ostapenko Head to Head
This is the first time the two players are meeting on the WTA Tour.
Sabalenka, Off an Inspiring Run
Aryna Sabalenka is heading into this fixture after winning the US Open doubles title with Elise Mertens. That is her first major title in any disciple and needless to mention, it has inspired her to put up an equally phenomenal performance in the Asian swing too.
As a singles player, however, her form has been a bit off in the last few events. Following her run in the final in the San Jose Open, she lost fairly early in Toronto and Cincinnati. Similarly, at the Flushing Meadows, she fell to Yulia Putintseva in the second round.
Her season so far has been like this, with ups and downs. Sabalenka won the singles title in Shenzhen at the start of the year and later, reached the semifinal in St. Petersburg and Strasbourg. At the same time, she has had a few disappointing events too, taking her strike rate to 28-20.
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Ostapenko, with a Disappointing Spell
Just last year, Ostapenko was World No. 5. As the 2017 Wimbledon winner, she was on a phenomenal streak and found herself soon in the top 10. But this season, she has lost her form altogether as she is now ranked in the mid-70s.
With 16 wins and 22 losses, the best she has done is reaching the third round in the US Open and Eastbourne. In fact, her run in the Flushing Meadows was quite promising as she defeated Aleksandra Krunic and Alison Riske. It’s impressive, given that the 22-year-old has had spells where she has gone without winning a single match or making past the early rounds.
Hoping to revive her form and reinvent herself, the Latvian started her run in Zhengzhou with a three-set win over the Chinese qualifier Xiaodi You – a player ranked in the late 200s.
Sabalenka v Ostapenko Tips & Predictions
Given her recent form, Sabalenka will start here as the favourite. Enjoying a bye into the second round, she is facing an opponent who has been struggling a lot with her ability to win. However, Ostapenko is certainly a capable player who needs to shake off the blues and get her groove back. This will be an exciting match to follow.
Tip: Over 19.5 in the match (888Sport)
You can watch & bet on Sabalenka v Ostapenko on Thursday, September 12 here. Get the latest tennis predictions and tips here.