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Match Details
Fixture: (2) Jessica Pegula vs Jelena Ostapenko
Tournament: Qatar TotalEnergies Open
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $780,637
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Jessica Pegula vs Jelena Ostapenko preview
World No. 4 Jessica Pegula will square off against 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the second round of the 2023 Qatar Open.
Pegula started the new season with a loss to Petra Kvitova at the United Cup. She remained undefeated in the tournament after that as she helped Team USA clinch the title. The American scored wins over Harriet Dart, Laura Siegemund, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Martina Trevisan in the process.
Pegula then made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the third straight year, but lost to Victoria Azarenka. She also competed in doubles alongside Coco Gauff and the duo made it to the semifinals. As the second seed at the Qatar Open, she received a first-round bye.
Ostapenko took on World No. 23 Madison Keys in the first round here. She was off to a slow start as she fell behind 3-0 in the opening set. The Latvian found her footing rather quickly, bagging the next three games to level the score.
Ostapenko broke Keys' serve once again towards the end of the set to claim the opener. She was even more dominant in the second set, breaking the American's serve twice to win the match 7-5, 6-2.
Jessica Pegula vs Jelena Ostapenko head-to-head
The two have faced off twice in main-draw matches prior to this. They've split their couple of meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Pegula won their previous encounter at the 2021 Qatar Open in straight sets.
Jessica Pegula vs Jelena Ostapenko odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jessica Pegula vs Jelena Ostapenko prediction
Ostapenko needed some time to get going against Keys in the previous round, but once she did, there was no stopping her. She bullied the American into submission with her groundstrokes while attacking her opponent's serve with equal ferocity.
However, Pegula's consistent gameplay could prove to be difficult for Ostapenko to break down. The World No. 4 isn't one to make unnecessary errors and has a much better serve compared to the Latvian.
Go big or go home - that has always been Ostapenko's style. Her hard-hitting ways generate an equal number of winners and errors. She's able to bash her way out of trouble at times, but against an opponent who knows how to handle her power, she falls flat.
Ostapenko has blown hot and cold this season. Aside from her quarterfinal run at the Australian Open, she hasn't made it past the second round of any other tournament. Pegula will be the favorite to win this contest, but the Latvian certainly has it in her to score an upset victory.
Pick: Jessica Pegula to win in three sets.
