Guadalajara Open 2024: Jelena Ostapenko vs Marina Stakusic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Jelena Ostapenko vs (WC) Marina Stakusic
Date: September 12, 2024
Tournament: Guadalajara Open Akron 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Panamerican Tennis Center, Guadalajara, Mexico
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $922,573
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports
Jelena Ostapenko vs Marina Stakusic preview
After a first-round bye, top seed Jelena Ostapenko will take on Marina Stakusic in the second round of the Guadalajara Open 2024.
With a bulk of the season already done with, Ostapenko has compiled a 29-17 record in singles. More than half of those wins came during the first two months of the year when she claimed a couple of titles at the WTA 500 level. She also reached the third round of the Australian Open and the WTA 1000 tournaments in Dubai and Qatar.
However, Ostapenko has been blowing hot and cold since March. Her best result from then until now has been a quarterfinal finish at Wimbledon and the Italian Open. The summer hardcourt swing proved to be a mixed bag for her. She made the third round of the Canadian Open but failed to win matches at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open.
While Ostapenko's singles campaign came to a swift end in New York, she went all the way in doubles alongside her long-time partner Lyudmyla Kichenok. The two won their maiden Major title in doubles with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Kristina Mladenovic and Zhang Shuai. The duo didn't lose a set the entire tournament as well.
Stakusic received a wildcard into the Guadalajara Open and drew Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the first round. The Canadian teenager breezed through the opening set as she broke her opponent's serve twice to clinch it.
Stakusic nabbed an early break to race ahead in the second set, though Schmiedlova managed to get back on serve in the eighth game. However, the former snagged another break in the ninth game to go 5-4 up and then served out the match for a 6-2, 6-4 win.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Marina Stakusic head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between the two, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Marina Stakusic odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jelena Ostapenko vs Marina Stakusic prediction
Stakusic's win over Schmiedlova marked her seventh main draw win at the WTA level. She dropped her serve only once in the previous round and went 4/4 on break points.
Ostapenko has lost her last three matches, with all those losses having come against players ranked outside the top 50. However, she should feel a little more confident after her doubles triumph at the US Open.
On paper, this contest should lean heavily in Ostapenko's favor given her vast experience compared to Stakusic. The latter is also 1-4 against top 50 opposition in her career and has won fewer matches in her career than what her opponent wins in a single season. The Latvian will be expected to advance further despite her recent struggles in singles.
Pick: Jelena Ostapenko to win in three sets.