Dubai Tennis Championships 2022: Iga Swiatek vs Jelena Ostapenko preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (6) Iga Swiatek vs Jelena Ostapenko.
Date: 16 February 2022.
Tournament: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Dubai, UAE.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $703,580.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Iga Swiatek vs Jelena Ostapenko preview
Two former Roland Garros champions are set for a showdown in the second round of the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships on Wednesday. 2020 winner Iga Swiatek will take on 2017 winner Jelena Ostapenko in an enticing encounter.
Swiatek got off to a flying start in Dubai as she was hardly challenged during her 6-1, 6-2 win over Daria Kasatkina in the first round. It was her second successive victory over the Russian this year, having bested her at last month's Australian Open as well.
Swiatek has been playing really well this year. At the Adelaide International, she made it to the semifinals where she lost to World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty. At the Australian Open, she reached the semifinals for the first time, but lost to Danielle Collins in straight sets.
While she hasn't walked away with a trophy yet this year, Swiatek's form means it's only a matter of time before she picks up some silverware.
@iga_swiatek gets her #DDFTennis campaign off to a flyer with a win over Kasatkina!Irresistible Iga ✊
🇵🇱 @iga_swiatek gets her #DDFTennis campaign off to a flyer with a win over Kasatkina! https://t.co/9qXvxtxPQw
Meanwhile, Jelena Ostapenko needed less than an hour to defeat 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-1, 6-2 in the first round. The Latvian dominated the opening set from start to finish.
The American showed some signs of a comeback in the second set after going 2-0 up. However, the former Roland Garros winner won the next six games in a row to hand Kenin her third consecutive first-round loss.
In a battle of Grand Slam champions, Jelena Ostapenko eases past Sofia Kenin 6-1, 6-2 in 52 minutes.
Gets a fellow Roland Garros champion next in No.6 seed Iga Swiatek.
#DDFTennis
Ostapenko is fresh off a semifinal run at last week's St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, where she lost to eventual winner Anett Kontaveit. She seems to have found her form after a slow start to the season.
Iga Swiatek vs Jelena Ostapenko head-to-head
The two have faced off twice before, with Ostapenko leading 2-0 in head-to-head. She won their most recent encounter at last year's Indian Wells Open in straight sets.
Iga Swiatek vs Jelena Ostapenko prediction
With both players coming to Dubai in good form and winning their opening-round matches in dominant fashion, this promises to be an exciting contest.
Swiatek is the more balanced player in this match-up, playing with controlled aggression and also boasts a better serve. Ostapenko's high-risk gameplay leads to her going for her shots with gusto, but on a bad day, she tends to pile on the unforced errors. Both players have considerable doubles experience as well, which they use to their advantage.
Swiatek has often struggled in the past against big-hitters like Ostapenko. Against the Latvian herself, she has managed to win just nine games across the four sets they've played.
All three of Ostapenko's losses this year have been against top 10 players. Even in 2021, she won just one of her six encounters against them. Interestingly, that lone victory came against Swiatek.
If the Latvian comes out firing on all cylinders and isn't making too many errors, there's not much Swiatek would be able to do.
Prediction: Jelena Ostapenko to win in three sets.