Korea Open 2024: Marta Kostyuk vs Heather Watson preview, head-to-head, odds, prediction and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Marta Kostyuk vs (WC) Heather Watson
Date: September 18, 2024
Tournament: Korea Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $922,573
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky UK
Marta Kostyuk vs Heather Watson preview
Fifth seed Marta Kostyuk will face British qualifier Heather Watson in the second round of the 2024 Korea Open. The Ukrainian had a 28-16 record in 2024 before coming to this tournament. She last played at the US Open, where she lost to Emma Navarro in the third round.
Kostyuk has had some success on hard courts this year. She reached the final at the San Diego Open, losing to Katie Boulter. The World No. 18 also reached the semi-final at the BNP Paribas Open, losing to top seed Iga Swiatek. The Ukrainian player also made it to the quarter-final at the Australian Open, where she lost to Coco Gauff. Kostyuk defeated Arantxa Rus in the opening round of the Korea Open.
Heather Watson's performances in 2024 have not been exemplary as the British player has not reached the main draws of WTA events regularly. She last played at the US Open, losing in the qualifying round to Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Watson defeated Jeong Bo-young and Ku Yeon-woo in the qualifying rounds of the Korea Open. In the first round of the main draw, she defeated Chinese Qualifier Lu Zhiazhing in straight sets.
Marta Kostyuk vs Heather Watson head-to-head
The head-to-head between the two players is 1-0 in favor of Kostyuk, with the Ukrainian player winning the only match in the Qualifying round of the 2019 Brisbane International.
Marta Kostyuk vs Heather Watson odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Marta Kostyuk vs Heather Watson prediction
Marta Kostyuk has a 58 percent win ratio on hard courts in her career. The World No. 18 has reached two hard court finals in her career, including winning the ATX Open last year, where she defeated Varvara Gracheva in the final.
Heather Watson is a former Top 40 player who has reached five finals on a hard course, winning four titles on the surface. The last of her wins came at the 2020 Mexican Open, where she defeated Leylah Fernandez for the title. However, in the last few years, the Brit's form has nosedived, which is evident from the fact that she has won only three Tour-level matches this year.
Current ranking and current form dictate that Kostyuk is the favorite to win the match and advance to the next round.
Pick- Marta Kostyuk to win in straight sets