WTA Italian Open 2021: Jelena Ostapenko vs Angelique Kerber– Preview, Head to Head and Prediction

WTA Italian Open 2021: Jelena Ostapenko vs Angelique Kerber– Preview, Head to Head and Prediction

Jelena Ostapenko vs Angelique Kerber

Jelena Ostapenko vs Angelique Kerber: Jelena Ostapenko will clash against Angelique Kerber in the third round of the Italian Open 2021. Ostapenko is ranked 49th in the WTA Rankings, whereas, Kerber is ranked on the 26th spot.

Match Details

  • Tournament: WTA Italian Open 2021
  • Match: Jelena Ostapenko vs Angelique Kerber
  • Round: Round of 16 (Third Round)
  • Date: 13th May, 2021
  • Prize Money: €16,935
  • Venue: Rome, Italy
  • Surface: Clay Court

Jelena Ostapenko vs Angelique Kerber: Match Preview

Jelena Ostapenko
Jelena Ostapenko

Jelena Ostapenko has not had the best start to the clay court season so far. The French Open 2017 champion last competed at the Madrid Open 2021, where she was defeated in the second round by Jennifer Brady. At the Italian Open 2021, the 23-year old has been in solid form.

She defeated the 16th seed, Johanna Konta in straight sets in the first round. She continued her dominance in the second round, as she sailed past Ajla Tomljanovic in another straight sets victory.

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Angelique Kerber survived a defeat in the second round of the Italian Open, after the second seed, Simona Halep had to withdraw halfway through the match. The Romanian won the first set, and was on-course to reaching the third round, before she had to withdraw.

Kerber defeated Alize Cornet in straight sets in the first round of the Italian Open 2021. Like her opponent in the third round, the German also competed at the Madrid Open 2021, where she was defeated in the second round by Petra Kvitova.

Jelena Ostapenko vs Angelique Kerber: Head-to-Head

Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber

The duo have faced off against each other on only once occasion in the past. Their only meeting came at Wimbledon 2018, where the German won in straight sets. As a result, Kerber leads the head-to-head score, 1-0.

Jelena Ostapenko vs Angelique Kerber: Match Prediction

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The third round clash will feature two Grandslam champions, fighting it out against each other to book a quarterfinal berth. Both, Kerber and Ostapenko struggled on their serves in their last match, and will hope to improve on that aspect of the game. The German served four double faults, whereas, Ostapenko served six double faults in her second round match.

Jelena Ostapenko has an aggressive style of play, and will look to put her opponent on the backfoot from the start. Angelique Kerber will have to play further from the baseline, and try to elongate the rallies and force unforced errors out of the 23-year old. That being said, the three time Grandslam champion has tremendous experience on her side, and will have to utilize it against the talented Latvian.

Ostapenko has 11 breaks to her name in her opening two round matches, and will be aggressive on Kerber’s second serve. The match will be a three set affair, with Ostapenko coming out on top, and booking a quarterfinals berth.

Match Prediction: Jelena Ostapenko to win in three sets

Also Read: WTA Italian Open 2021: Iga Swiatek vs Barbora Krejcikova – Preview, Head to Head and Prediction