Abu Dhabi Open 2023: Jelena Ostapenko vs Danielle Collins preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Jelena Ostapenko vs Danielle Collins
Tournament: Abu Dhabi Open 2023
Round: First Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre, Abu Dhabi
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $780,637
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Jelena Ostapenko vs Danielle Collins preview
Fifth seed Jelena Ostapenko will lock horns with 2022 Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins in the first round of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open.
Ostapenko, the French Open winner in 2017, couldn't start the 2023 season on the right note, winning a grand total of just one match in the two Adelaide tournaments. However, the former World No. 5 turned things around once she reached Melbourne.
With four wins in a row, the 25-year-old made it to her first-ever quarterfinal at the Australian Open. One of her scalps during her journey was the Auckland champion Coco Gauff.
Although Ostapenko couldn't pose much of a resistance to eventual runner-up Elena Rybakina in their last-eight clash, she will be keen to take the momentum forward.
Ostapenko is coming off a fine showing in the Middle East last year, winning the title in Dubai and reaching the semifinals in Doha. She will hope to draw inspiration from that sizzling run on her return to the desert.
Former World No. 7 Collins made the quarterfinals in her second tournament of the year at the Adelaide International 2. She, however, failed to build on it at the first Major of the season.
The American needed three sets to see off each of Anna Kalinskaya and Karolina Muchova in her first couple of rounds. Although she managed to put Rybakina in a spot of bother in the third round, the Kazakh had the last laugh, coming through in three sets. The early defeat saw the 29-year-old slip to No. 40 in the rankings ladder.
Collins will hope to get back to winning ways in the Middle Eastern swing.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Danielle Collins head-to-head
Ostapenko leads 1-0 in her head-to-head against Collins. The Latvian secured a 7-6(1), 6-3 win in their only meeting so far in the semifinals of Miami in 2018.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Danielle Collins odds
(Odds will be updated once they are available)
Jelena Ostapenko vs Danielle Collins prediction
Ostapenko's encouraging run in Melbourne and her previous win over Collins make her the favorite to win this contest.
One of the hardest hitters on the tour, the Latvian usually has no mercy on the ball when she is on song and can produce a winner from any part of the court. But that approach has its own pitfalls. Ostapenko often struggles to rein in her aggression, racking up a high number of unforced errors.
She needs to be wary of the fact that Collins likes to take the ball early and step inside the court on returns. The American will look to rush the fifth seed in order to eke out errors off her racquet.
If Ostapenko can dictate the proceedings from the start without leaking too many errors, she has a good chance of notching her second consecutive win over Collins.
Pick: Jelena Ostapenko to win in two tight sets.