Iga Swiatek vs Jelena Ostapenko Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA US Open

Prediction published on 02/09/2023, 12:00  by Steve Ashfield in Tennis Predictions

Defending champion Iga Swiatek faces 20th seeded Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round of the US Open. Winning this match will take the victor into a quarter final against either sixth seeded Coco Gauff (who recently beat Swiatek) or Caroline Wozniacki. The pressure is on Swiatek in this tournament as she has to better Aryna Sabalenka's result to stay top of the rankings. Currently the Pole is down to second in the live rankings. That's because Swiatek has 2000 points to defend after winning this title last year. Swiatek has won four titles this year, the most recent being the hard court Warsaw Open in July. Her last two tournaments have seen her beaten in the semi-finals. So far in New York, the top seed has been in dominant form. Three matches (all against unseeded opposition) have seen her lose just nine games. Seven of those came in her second round win over Daria Saville. 

Not many players can say they've won all of their matches against Iga Swiatek. Jelena Ostapenko can and has a 3-0 lead over her opponent. Two of those wins have come on hard courts, the most recent of them being in Dubai last year and the other at Indian Wells two years ago. This is her first time in the fourth round of the US Open. Her win in round one was the first the Latvian has had in New York since 2019 when reaching the third round. This year began with her getting to the last eight of the Australian Open  (her first Grand Slam quarter final in five years) but the two Grand Slams that have followed saw her lose in round two. It's not been a great year for her on hard courts and that last eight in the Australian Open is her only quarter final on the surface this year. In this tournament, Ostapenko has had to go to a final set in all three of her matches. That included her having to come from behind against Bernarda Pera in round three. Now looks the time for Swiatek to finally beat Ostapenko and we believe she'll do so in straight sets.