Indian Wells 2022: Jelena Ostapenko vs Shelby Rogers preview, head-to-head & prediction | BNP Paribas Open

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Jelena Ostapenko (L) and Shelby Rogers.
Jelena Ostapenko (L) and Shelby Rogers.

Match details

Fixture: (10) Jelena Ostapenko vs Shelby Rogers.

Date: 12 March 2022.

Tournament: BNP Paribas Open.

Round: Second round (Round of 64).

Venue: Indian Wells, USA.

Category: WTA 1000.

Surface: Hardcourt.

Prize money: $8,369,455.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.


Jelena Ostapenko vs Shelby Rogers preview

Jelena Ostapenko at the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Jelena Ostapenko at the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships.

2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko will take on Shelby Rogers in the second round of the 2022 Indian Wells Open on Saturday.

After a slow start to the season, Ostapenko has been in great form over the last month so. She suffered a third-round exit from the Australian Open, but did well to make it into the semifinals in St. Petersburg.

At the Dubai Tennis Championships, Ostapenko won her fifth career title. En route to the title, the Latvian defeated four Grand Slam champions in Sofia Kenin, Iga Swiatek, Petra Kvitova and Simona Halep. She competed in Qatar the following week and lost in the semifinals.

Ostapenko made it to the last four at the 2021 Indian Wells Open and will be aiming to go even further this time.

Shelby Rogers at the 2022 Australian Open.
Shelby Rogers at the 2022 Australian Open.

Shelby Rogers made a promising start to the year by reaching the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International. However, she lost in the first round of her next three tournaments.

In her opening-round match against Nuria Parrizas Diaz at the Indian Wells Open, Rogers won the first set convincingly. She then lost the next one and trailed 1-5 in the deciding set. Just when it appeared as if the American was headed towards another early exit, she stepped up her game.

Rogers won five games in a row to lead 6-5 in a remarkable turnaround. Parizas Diaz managed to hold serve to force a tie-break, but the American had momentum on her side and secured a win to snap her losing streak.

The victory was reminiscent of Roger's win over World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty at the 2021 US Open. She managed to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat in that contest as well to win 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (5).


Jelena Ostapenko vs Shelby Rogers head-to-head

The two have faced off thrice before, with Ostapenko having a perfect 3-0 record against Rogers. She won their most recent encounter at last year's Indian Wells Open in three sets.


Jelena Ostapenko vs Shelby Rogers prediction

Ostapenko at the 2022 Qatar Open.
Ostapenko at the 2022 Qatar Open.

Given their recent form, Ostapenko will be the favorite to win this contest. However, Rogers is a dangerous opponent who has a knack for upsetting top players in the early rounds.

Ostapenko's default game plan has been to go big or go home. Her high-risk style of play leads to her producing some stunning winners when she's at her best. However, if she's having a bad day, the errors tend to pile up quickly. The Latvian has shown some restraint recently, which has resulted in plenty of success for her.

Rogers lacks the firepower of her opponent, but is known to be proactive and incorporate a lot of variety into her game. Both players are quite good at doubles as well and the additional experience will come in handy. They're also prone to having lapses while serving at times, but make up for it by being good returners.

Overall, Ostapenko is likely to come out on top in this encounter, but Rogers is a gritty player who won't go down without a fight.

Prediction: Jelena Ostapenko to win in three sets.