Sofia Kenin vs Jelena Ostapenko Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Dubai Tennis Championships

Prediction published on 14/02/2022, 07:23  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 14/02/2022 at 08:50 in Tennis Predictions

Jelena Ostapenko rose to 21st in the latest rankings. The Latvian takes on Sofia Kenin in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The winner of this match takes on sixth seeded Iga Swiatek in the second round (last 16). Ostapenko went up in the rankings after reaching the semi-final of the St Petersburg Ladies' Trophy last week. Three matches were won (no top 60 players beaten) before losing in the last four to eventual winner Anett Kontaveit. It's six years since Ostapenko made it to the final of this tournament losing in three sets to Carla Suarez Navarro. Ostapenko has had two previous matches against Kenin, winning in 2020 but being beaten at the French Open last year. Both matches went to three sets.

Sofia Kenin has been slipping down the rankings and begins this week in 90th place. That's a massive drop from the fourth she held in March 2020. That year had seen her win the Australian Open and reach the final at Roland Garros. However, since then the American has failed to get past the fourth round of a Grand Slam.  Kenin didn't play at all last year after the Wimbledon Championships where she had a disastrous match making 41 unforced errors in 45 minutes. 2022 began with Kenin ranked 12th but the loss of all those points from a couple of years ago have left her with the task of somehow getting back up the rankings. This year saw her get to the quarter finals in Adelaide, before losing to Ashleigh Barty. That was followed by first round exits in Sydney and then the Australian Open (beaten by Daria Kasatkina) making it three losses in a row. Back the in-form Ostapenko to make that four straight defeats for Kenin.