Cincinnati 2023: Jelena Ostapenko vs Karolina Pliskova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Western & Southern Open

Match details

Fixture: Jelena Ostapenko vs Karolina Pliskova

Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2023

Round: First round (Round of 64)

Date: TBD

Venue: Cincinnati, US

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Hard

Prize money: $2,788,468

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - Sportsnet, TVA Sports | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv

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Jelena Ostapenko vs Karolina Pliskova preview

The first round of the 2023 Western & Southern Open will have Jelena Ostapenko and Karolina Pliskova square off in an exciting encounter.

Pliskova, a former champion in Cincinnati, is going through a bit of a rough patch and has not won back-to-back main draw matches since Stuttgart back in April. She showed promise during her run at Montreal this week, coming up short against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in two tight sets.

The Czech’s 20-15 win-loss for the season is one of her poorest heading into the season’s final Slam, but Cincinnati has always been a happy hunting ground for the former US Open runner-up.

Ostapenko made a first-round exit in Montreal.

Ostapenko, meanwhile, has enjoyed a relatively successful season so far. She opened her season by making the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and lifted a sixth career title on the grasscourts of Birmingham.

The Latvian returned to the hardcourts at Montreal with a solid 27-14 win-loss for the season. She, however, bowed out in the opening round after suffering a tight three-set loss to Jennifer Brady. Playing at her final stop before the US Open, she will be looking to turn things around.

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Jelena Ostapenko vs Karolina Pliskova head-to-head

Pliskova leads Ostapenko in their current head-to-head with a slender 5-4 margin. The Latvian, however, won their most recent meeting in Adelaide this year.

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Jelena Ostapenko vs Karolina Pliskova odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Sets
Jelena Ostapenko
Karolina Pliskova

(Odds to be updated when they are released)

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Jelena Ostapenko vs Karolina Pliskova prediction

Serving numbers will be key for Pliskova.

Neither Karolina Pliskova nor Jelena Ostapenko enjoy slugging it out in long rallies, but instead prefer going for winners the first chance they get.

Ostapenko in particular, has a propensity to blow hot and cold in matches. The bizarre scoreline of 6-7(7), 6-0, 6-7(8) in her Montreal loss against Brady is testament to just how unpredictable the Latvian can be.

Pliskova, for her part, possesses an obvious weapon in the form of her powerful first serve. She has won 70% of her service games this year, which means opportunities to break her will be far and few between.

For Ostapenko, the key will lie in balancing her aggression with a certain sense of restraint. If she can put pressure on her opponent’s second serve and keep a tab on the unforced error count, she has a good chance of coming through.

Prediction: Ostapenko to win in three sets