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Match Details
Fixture: (WC/1) Jelena Ostapenko vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Date: February 3, 2024
Tournament: Linz Open 2024
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Design Center Linz, Linz, Austria
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Hard (Indoor)
Prize money: $922,573
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - SkySports
Jelena Ostapenko vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova preview
Top seed Jelena Ostapenko will take on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the semifinals of the 2024 Linz Open on Saturday.
Following a first round bye, Ostapenko saved a match point en route to a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7) comeback win over Clara Tauson in the second round. She then faced qualifier Jodie Burrage in the quarterfinals.
Ostapenko was quick off the blocks and grabbed the first set, losing just one game. She didn't let up the pressure in the second set either and gave away just a couple of games for a 6-1, 6-2 victory.
Pavlyuchenkova, meanwhile, bundled out Martina Trevisan and Katie Boulter in straight sets to book a quarterfinal date with fourth seed Elise Mertens. A lone break of serve in the Russian's favor saw her claim a 5-2 lead in the first set.
Pavlyuchenkova had to save a break point while serving for the opener after that, but got the job done in the end. Mertens struck first in the second set to go 2-0 up, but the 32-year old reeled off the next six games to score a 6-3, 6-2 win.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova head-to-head
Ostapenko leads Pavlyuchenkova 4-1 in the head-to-head. The Latvian won their previous encounter at the 2021 Eastbourne International in straight sets.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova odds
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
Jelena Ostapenko vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova prediction
After a rollercoaster of a match against Tauson, Ostapenko's routine win over Burrage was the need of the hour for her. The Latvian dictated the play from start to finish and never really looked in any kind of danger.
Pavlyuchenkova has been in great form here as well and hasn't dropped a set so far. While this rivalry favors Ostapenko to a large extent, the Russian's only win over her younger rival came on an indoor hardcourt.
Given that the Linz Open is played under similar conditions, Pavlyuchenkova will fancy her chances. As for Ostapenko, she has added more dimensions to her game of late, which has contributed to her success.
The Latvian's not shy to engage in long rallies from time to time, while the forehand slice has been a weapon her for too. However, Ostapenko has played non-stop tennis since the start of the season.
Ostapenko reached the quarterfinals in singles and won the doubles title in Brisbane. She then won the singles title in Adelaide and made the semifinals in doubles there. While she bowed out in the third round of the Australian Open in singles, she finished as the runner-up in doubles.
But even after a marathon match against Tauson, Ostapenko didn't look too tired against Burrage. Fatigue doesn't look to be a factor here, so given the Latvian's form, she'll be the favorite to come out on top against Pavlyuchenkova.
Pick: Jelena Ostapenko to win in three sets.
