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Match details
Fixture: (17) Jelena Ostapenko vs Anna Bondar.
Date: January 18, 2023.
Tournament: Australian Open 2023.
Round: Second round (Round of 64).
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: A$76,500,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Anna Bondar preview
Former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko will lock horns with World No. 81 Anna Bondar in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open on Wednesday.
The Latvian made a brilliant start to last season, winning the Dubai title and reaching the semifinals in Doha and St. Petersburg. However, the 25-year-old was unable to continue the momentum thereafter, slumping to early losses at multiple tournaments.
She then caught fire on the grasscourts of Eastbourne before losing to Petra Kvitova in the final. Ostapenko backed it up with a run to the last 16 at Wimbledon.
The World No. 17 once more found her range towards the end of the year in Korea. She collected four wins in a row to finish as the runner-up to Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Ostapenko hasn't been able to commence the 2023 season the way she would have liked. She managed to win a grand total of one match in two tournaments before heading to the Australian Open.
At Melbourne Park, however, she looked on song, dispatching Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 6-2 in the first round on Monday.
Anna Bondar is a 25-year-old from Hungary, having attained most of her success so far in the doubles discipline. She has a doubles title to her name and has been to the French Open quarterfinals as well.
In singles, she is yet to reach a final, although she made the latter stages of a few tournaments last year that pushed her to a career-high ranking of 50. Bondar reached the semifinals in Rabat and at home in Budapest, along with quarters in Cluj-Napoca, Palermo, Istanbul, and Lyon.
Ahead of this year's Australian Open, the Hungarian couldn't qualify for the main draw at both the Adelaide tournaments.
Bondar fought for three sets before registering a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win over World No. 63 Ana Bogdan in the first round of the Melbourne Major on Monday. This was her first main-draw win at a Slam.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Anna Bondar head-to-head
Ostapenko and Bondar have never squared off on the tour before, so their head-to-head is currently tied at 0-0.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Anna Bondar odds
(Odds sourced from Oddschecker)
Jelena Ostapenko vs Anna Bondar prediction
By dint of her ranking and experience, Jelena Ostapenko comes into this contest as the heavy favorite.
Anna Bondar has a good serve, which was evident in the first round, where she produced eight aces against Ana Bogdan. Other than that, the Hungarian doesn't really possess any weapons that can hurt Ostapenko's game.
The Latvian has an all-out attacking approach and can strike a winner from any part of the court. However, she does blow hot and cold during matches and fails to contain her aggression at times, racking up a high number of unforced errors.
That said, Ostapenko looked in no mood to relent in the first round. She won 79% of her first-serve points and converted all three of her break points. If she can continue such fierce ball-striking, keeping her errors at bay, it should be a walk in the park for the former Grand Slam champion.
Pick: Jelena Ostapenko to win in straight sets.
