Eastbourne 2022: Jelena Ostapenko vs Madison Keys preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Rothesay International
Match Details
Fixture: (8) Jelena Ostapenko vs (11) Madison Keys.
Date: 22 June 2022.
Tournament: Rothesay International Eastbourne 2022.
Round: Third round (Round of 16).
Venue: Eastbourne, United Kingdom.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: $757,900.
Match timing: Approx. 4 pm local time, 11 am EST, 8:30 pm IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Madison Keys preview
Defending champion Jelena Ostapenko will square off against World No. 24 Madison Keys in the third round of the 2022 Rothesay International on Wednesday.
While Ostapenko lost in the second round of singles at Birmingham last week, she did walk away with the doubles title. After a first-round bye at Eastbourne, she took on Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round. The Australian defeated her at Wimbledon last year.
Ostapenko found herself trailing 4-2 in the opening set, but won the next four games to clinch it. The duo traded a couple of service breaks to start the second set, but held their serve until the final game of the match. Tomljanovic served to stay in the contest at 5-4 but some errors, coupled with her opponent's brilliance, led to the Latvian winning 6-4, 6-4.
@JelenaOstapenk8 gets revenge over Tomljanovic to set up a meeting with Keys!Too good 🤝👏
Eastbourne defending champion 🇱🇻 @JelenaOstapenk8 gets revenge over Tomljanovic to set up a meeting with Keys!
#RothesayInternational https://t.co/fWaOaLvKnt
Madison Keys is competing in her first tournament of the grass season in Eastbourne. After a first-round bye, she was up against compatriot Lauren Davis in the second round. The opening set featured a ton of momentum shifts, as neither player was able to hold serve at the start of the match.
After eight consecutive service breaks, Keys finally held serve for 5-4. She then broke her opponent's serve once more to bag the set. Both players settled down in the second set. The 2017 US Open finalist went up a break in the sixth game to lead 4-2.
Keys had a match point on Davis' serve at 5-2, but she managed to hold serve. The 27-year-old then comfortably served out the match to win 6-4, 6-3.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Madison Keys head-to-head
The pair have faced off twice before, with Keys leading 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2019 Charleston Open in straight sets.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Madison Keys odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jelena Ostapenko vs Madison Keys prediction
Ostapenko and Keys are two of the biggest hitters on the tour. Their explosive groundstrokes and high-risk style of play often results in some striking winners, along with a number of errors.
Keys is the better server of the two. However, against Davis in the second round, she had trouble holding her serve. While she was able to stay in contention against her compatriot, it could prove costly against an opponent of Ostapenko's caliber.
The former French Open champion hit some brilliant return winners against Tomljanovic and will look to punish the American's miscues on serve as well. Ostapenko hit 29 winners in all, compared to 27 unforced errors. She did throw in six double faults, but those have become a staple of her game now. She has often managed to prevail despite her serving woes.
Keys has won both of their previous encounters, including one on grass. The American has displayed more patience and knows when to go for the winning shot. Ostapenko is quite one-dimensional at times, but with her doubles experience over the years, she has attempted to incorporate some variety into her game.
Ostapenko seems to be in slightly better form than Keys, based on their second-round matches. If she's able to stay consistent and keep the error count low, she could well score her first win over the American.
Pick: Jelena Ostapenko to win in three sets.