World number 18 Petra Martic will face off the challenge from the 44th-ranked Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the first round of the 2020 WTA Ostrava Open on Monday, October 19. The exact timing of the match is yet to be determined. Get the live streaming options of this Petra Martic v Jelena Ostapenko match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
Looking to watch the Ostrava Open live streaming online?
- For tennis fans in the UK, Europe, Australia & elsewhere go to bet365 > Tennis > Live Streaming here* to watch & bet on the ATP & WTA tennis live.
- Get all the other Ostrava Open Live Streaming Options Here
[the_ad id=”30344″]
*Geo-restrictions apply & pre-funded account needed
Petra Martic v Jelena Ostapenko Head to Head
This will be the third match between Martic and Ostapenko. Martic has won both the previous outings, coming at the 2018 Indian Wells Open and 2019 Birmingham Open.
Also Read:
Martic Struggling against Lower-Ranked Players
On the face of it, Petra Martic has shown consistent form this season. A semifinal at the Dubai International before the pandemic struck, was followed by another of those last-four appearances at Palermo immediately after the resumption of tennis.
Martic then made it to the fourth round of the US Open and was gunning for another fourth round appearance at the French Open when she lost to Laura Siegemund.
The Croat had gone into that match as a 2/5 favourite but fell in three sets to her opponent despite taking the first set in a tie-breaker. Now, an odd surprise loss like that is understandable, a bad day at the office is only natural.
Trouble for Martic is that was her sixth successive defeats to an opponent who had begun the match as the second favourite in the encounter. And that, as a result, has been a regular worry for the world number 18 – the inability to be clinical enough during tournaments to finish off matches against players who aren’t ranked as high.
And she is now starting off against one who is ranked 44th in the world too but on her day can get the better of some top opponents.
[the_ad id=”14063″]
Ostapenko Shone Indoors Last Season
While Ostapenko’s career hasn’t quite taken off the manner in which she would have liked since her French Open triumph in 2017, her recent performances have given rise to some hope about the same.
For instance, at the French Open two weeks ago, Ostapenko shocked Karolina Pliskova in the second round. At Strasbourg, she was a surprise winner over Kiki Bertens as well. And at the Fed Cup earlier in the season, Ostapenko won against Sofia Kenin.
For a player whose overall win-loss record this year has been a measely 8-9, those are some huge scalps.
What will also give her a lot of confidence is her performance indoors last season. She had defeated Elena Rybakina en route the final of the Linz Open where she lost to Cori Gauff but then only a week later was lifting the Luxembourg Open title with wins over Elise Mertens and Julia Goerges.
Does that mean she can translate that form into something fantastic in this opener against Martic?
Martic v Ostapenko Prediction and Tip
While Ostapenko might be 6/5 to win this it’s a tough call to make against her given her run indoors last year. Not to forget Martic’s six straight losses in matches she has started off as a favourite. Instead looking at the games market for this one.
Tip: Over 20.5 games in the match: 5/6 (bet365)
[the_ad id=”30513″]
The Cologne Open 2020 will be played from October 12 to 18. You can watch & bet on the Cologne Open here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
Be the first to comment