The first round match between the world number two Karolina Pliskova and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko will be played on Saturday, September 28. The match is scheduled for a 3 pm start local time (8 am BST). Latest Karolina Pliskova v Jelena Ostapenko live streaming options with the preview, head to head stats, and tips.
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Karolina Pliskova v Jelena Ostapenko Head to Head
Four matches between these two have led to Pliskova leading 3-1 against Ostapenko. Their last encounter came in Stuttgart in 2018 which needed Pliskova three sets to carve out a victory. On hard court surfaces though, it’s 2-0 in favour of Pliskova.
Can In-Form Pliskova Go the Distance?
Bookmakers aren’t favourite Karolina Pliskova to go on to win the tournament, as she lies fourth behind Bianca Andreescu, Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty to do the same, with odds of 14/1 for that to happen. While that’s understandable to an extent, it’s not like Pliskova has been in poor form. Far from it in fact.
This year alone, the Czech world number two has won four WTA titles, including one as recently as the Zhengzhou Open two weeks ago. Other titles have also been spread through the season and come on hard court, grass and clay, giving Pliskova an all-court feel but where she might have been pegged back is her very recent form.
That win in Zhengzhou apart, Pliskova hasn’t managed to make it to the semi-finals in five tournaments. This includes fourth round defeats at Wimbledon and US Open and that’s where her confidence might, if any, taken a teeny-weeny dent. Still, with her excellent serve, if she can dispatch Ostapenko in this opener to begin with, that should give her a lot of confidence for the rest of the tournament.
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The Fall Continues for Ostapenko
Ostapenko would have been hoping for an easier first round opponent than a world number two, knowing the kind of confidence she carries into the competition. After a relatively reasonable showing at the US Open where she made the third round, Ostapenko is now on a three-match losing streak, losing the second round at Zhengzhou, and opening matches at Seoul and Tashkent.
Some of these defeats haven’t even been to very high-ranked opponents. Like at Seoul, she was beaten by Timea Babos, and then Katarina Zavatska overcame her at Tashkent. Interestingly she was down a set and 5-4 in the second when she retired from that match, so if fitness is a concern still that might be another overriding factor.
All in all, if Ostapenko can walk out to the court and compete hard to give herself an outside chance, she could end up being reasonably proud of her showing.
Pliskova v Ostapenko Tips & Predictions
Easy one to call this, Pliskova to win with offers of a rather short 1/7 for her victory. We will go with a games handicap with Pliskova expected to win even with a minus 5.5 games.
Tip: Games Handicap Karolina Pliskova -5.5 5/6 at 888Sport
You can watch & bet on Karolina Pliskova v Jelena Ostapenko on Saturday, September 28 here. Get the latest tennis predictions and tips here