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Match details
Fixture: (4) Barbora Krejcikova vs (26) Jelena Ostapenko
Date: 21 January 2022.
Tournament: Australian Open 2022.
Round: Third round (Round of 32).
Venue: Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $75,000,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Liv.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Jelena Ostapenko preview
Fourth seed Barbora Krejcikova meets 26th seed Jelena Ostapenko in a blockbuster battle of the French Open champions at the Australian Open on Friday.
Krejcikova has picked up from where she left off last season. After a breakthrough 2021 that saw her win her maiden singles Major at Roland Garros, the World No. 4 has started the new season in fine fashion.
The Czech made it to the final in Sydney earlier this month, where she was edged in a third-set tiebreak by Paula Badosa.
At the Australian Open, she has been in sublime form so far. Krejcikova swatted aside Andrea Petkovic and Xiyu Wang in her first two rounds, conceding just seven games along the way.
2017 Roland Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko, meanwhile, showed resurgent form last year by winning the Eastbourne title on grass. She was also the runner-up in Luxembourg and reached the semifinals at Indian Wells in what was a superb finish to the season.
Ostapenko's new season, however, started on the wrong foot with a first-round loss to eventual champion Paula Badosa in Sydney.
At the Australian Open, the Latvian hasn't had a smooth run so far but has managed to dig deep to secure three-sets wins over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Alison Riske.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Jelena Ostapenko head-to-head
Ostapenko leads Krejcikova 2-1 in the head-to-head, but it was the Czech who triumphed 6-3, 6-1 in their last meeting on the hardcourts of Dubai in 2021.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Jelena Ostapenko prediction
Jelena Ostapenko can play lights out tennis on her day, producing winners from any part of the court. But her all-out approach has its own pitfalls. Many a time, the Latvian struggles to keep the ball inside the court, resulting in a high number of unforced errors.
Controlling her errors will be critical against a player of Krejcikova's caliber. Not only is the Czech feisty from the back of the court, but she has a lethal netgame as well that will come in handy against Ostapenko. The reigning French Open champion will look to use her angles and variety to force her opponent into more errors.
Krejcikova has been very solid over the past few months with remarkable consistency at top-level tournaments. It is unlikely she will let go of this opportunity to make the second week of the Australian Open for the first time in her career.
Prediction: Krejcikova to win in two tight sets.
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