Korea Open 2022: Jelena Ostapenko vs Emma Raducanu preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Jelena Ostapenko vs (6) Emma Raducanu.
Date: September 24, 2022.
Tournament: Korea Open 2022.
Round: Semifinal.
Venue: Seoul, South Korea.
Category: WTA 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $251,750.
Match timing: Approx. 3:30 pm local time, 6:30 am GMT, and 12 noon IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Emma Raducanu preview
2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko will take on 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the semifinals of the 2022 Korea Open on Saturday.
Ostapenko survived a tough challenge from Boyoung Jeong in the first round, defeating her in three sets. She then saved a match point en route to her three-set win over Anastasia Gasanova in the second round.
The Latvian was up against 17-year-old Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva in the quarterfinals. She went down an early break to trail 2-0 in the opening set. It looked like she was in for yet another marathon match, but turned things around on a dime. The 25-year-old ran away with the next six games to bag the set.
Ostapenko secured a break of serve to go 2-0 up in the second set. Her momentum came to a halt after that as Jimenez Kasintseva managed to break the Latvian's serve. That turned out to be her final stand as the former French Open champion reeled off five games in a row to win the match 6-2, 6-1.
Raducanu notched up straight sets victories over Moyuka Uchijima and Yanina Wickmayer to reach her third quarterfinal of the season. She took on third seed Magda Linette in the last eight, who had reached the final of the Chennai Open last week.
The Brit started the match on a strong note as she jumped to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. This was more than enough for her to grab the set down the line. The second set played out in a similar fashion as the teenager raced to a 5-1 lead. The deficit proved to be too much for Linette to recover from as Raducanu soon won the match 6-2, 6-2.
This marks the first time that Raducanu has won three matches in a row this year. She's also into her first semifinal since winning the US Open last year.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Emma Raducanu head-to-head
This will be the first tour level meeting between the duo, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Emma Raducanu odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jelena Ostapenko vs Emma Raducanu prediction
The stage is set for a showdown between the two Grand Slam champions. Raducanu has been in great form all week and hasn't dropped a set so far. Ostapenko was tested thoroughly in her first couple of matches, but stepped up her game in the previous round.
The Brit won a massive 96% of her first serve points against Linette in the quarterfinals. If she keeps this up, she'll have a huge advantage against the Latvian in the next round. Ostapenko's serve can be pretty unreliable, though she makes up for it in other ways.
Raducanu will need to remain patient and not get too overwhelmed by Ostapenko's blistering groundstrokes. The key to beating the former French Open champion is by being consistent and not going for too much. The teenager will need to mix up her shots as well, as she's unlikely to come out on top by engaging in baseline exchanges.
This is a contest that could swing either way. Ostapenko has had a much better season compared to Raducanu, but she isn't known for her consistency. The Brit has performed better this week, so might be able to get past her opponent and into the final.
Pick: Emma Raducanu to win in three sets.