Australian Open 2024 Day 5: Women's singles predictions ft. Jelena Ostapenko vs Ajla Tomljanovic

Players will be fighting for a spot in the third round on Day 5 of the 2024 Australian Open.

With plenty of higher-ranked players failing to make it past the first hurdle, the draw has opened up. This is an opportunity for everyone else to make a deep run here and move up the rankings.

But there are still plenty of big names left in the draw. 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko is one of them, along with top 10 player Jessica Pegula.

So let's take a look into how their matches could go, along with a couple of others, on Day 5 of the tournament

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#1 - Jelena Ostapenko vs Ajla Tomljanovic

Ostapenko has been one of the most in-form players this season. She made it to the last eight in Brisbane in singles and captured the title in doubles. The following week she won the singles title in Adelaide.

Ostapenko continued her winning streak with a win over Kimberly Birrell in the first round of the Australian Open. She also won her doubles opener here alongside Lyudmyla Kichenok.

Tomljanovic found herself staring at an early exit once she arrived in Melbourne. Down a double break in the third set against Petra Martic, the Australian staged a stunning fightback to win her opener.

Ostapenko has already won a lot of matches this year, that too across singles and doubles. Tomljanovic's win over Martic was just her second of the season. The Latvian's a lot more consistent than before, so even a slight dip in form shouldn't stop her from moving forward.

Predicted winner: Jelena Ostapenko

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#2 - Qinwen Zheng vs Katie Boulter

Qinwen Zheng at the 2024 Australian Open.

Zheng overcame a rough start to defeat Ashlyn Krueger 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the first round. Boulter edged past Yuan Yue 7-5, 7-6 (1) to reach the second round of the Australian Open for the first time since 2019.

Boulter had a memorable run at the United Cup, where she stunned World No. 5 Jessica Pegula in the group stage. It was her third win over a top-10 player. After dealing with physical issues for most of her career, the Brit's star is now on the rise since last year.

Zheng has also cemented her status as one of the next generation of players to look out for. Based on their overall results, the Chinese is likely to have the upper hand in the contest, though the match could go down to the wire based on their recent form.

Predicted winner: Qinwen Zheng

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#3 - Emma Navarro vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto

Navarro arrived at the Australian Open on the heels of her title-winning run at the Hobart International over the weekend. She needed three sets to get past Wang Xiyu in the first round here but she dug deep to keep her winning streak going.

Cocciaretto knocked out Lulu Sun to make it past the first round of the Australian Open for the first time in her career. The Italian, as well as Navarro, are of the same age and their careers have been on an upward trajectory since last year.

Aside from securing the title in Hobart, Navarro also made it to the semifinals in Auckland the week before. The American is on a roll at the moment, and Cocciaretto could find it tough to stop her.

Predicted winner: Emma Navarro

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#4 - Jessica Pegula vs Clara Burel

Jessica Pegula at the 2024 Australian Open.

Pegula made light work of Rebecca Marino in the first round with a 6-2, 6-4 win. Burel didn't face any hiccups against Aleksandra Krunic in her opener either and won 6-4, 6-1.

Burel has made it past the opening hurdle at the Australian Open on her fourth attempt. As for Pegula, she has made it to the quarterfinal stage in Melbourne three years in a row since 2021.

The American has established herself as a consistent performer at the top of the women's game. However, her start to the season was less than ideal. She was stunned by Boulter in the group stage of the United Cup but managed to defeat Tomljanovic.

However, that wasn't enough as the United States were eliminated in the group stage itself. Pegula then headed to Adelaide where she reached the semifinals before pulling out of the tournament. While it was a good result, all of her matches went to three sets.

But Burel hasn't given top players a decent challenge in the past. She'll need to raise her level considerably to best Pegula, otherwise the American should be able to move on without a fuss.

Predicted winner: Jessica Pegula