Eastbourne International 2021: Jelena Ostapenko vs Anett Kontaveit preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Jelena Ostapenko vs Anett Kontaveit

Date: 26 June 2021

Tournament: Viking International Eastbourne 2021

Round: Final

Venue: Eastbourne, Great Britain

Category: WTA 500

Surface: Grass

Prize money: $565,530

Match timing: 12:30 pm local time, 11:30 pm GMT, 7:30 am EST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Jelena Ostapenko vs Anett Kontaveit preview

2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko will look to secure her maiden grasscourt title when she takes on World No. 27 Anett Kontaveit in the final of the Eastbourne International on Saturday.

The Latvian reached a solitary quarterfinal in her first 12 events of the season, but has struck a rich vein of form in Eastbourne. The quality of players the former junior Wimbledon champion has beaten this week will boost her confidence ahead of the summit clash.

After knocking out eighth seed and French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in her opener, Ostapenko beat Birmingham champion Ons Jabeur, Birmingham runner-up Daria Kasatkina and Roland Garros quarterfinalist Elena Rybakina en route to the title decider.

The Latvian put up a masterclass against Rybakina, needing just one hour and 33 minutes to send the Kazakh packing.

Buoyed by that display, Ostapenko will be looking to take home the title and a huge shot of confidence heading into Wimbledon.

Anett Kontaveit, meanwhile, made a blazing start to the season at the Grampians Trophy, where she shared the title with Ann Li. However, things quickly turned sour for the Estonian as she made the quarterfinals just twice in the next four months before finding her range in Eastbourne.

Kontaveit's fighting spirit was on full display in her three-set wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova and Viktorija Golubic. She didn't need to spend much time on the court in her semifinal against Camila Giorgi, though, as the Italian retired while trailing 4-5 in the first set.

Jelena Ostapenko vs Anett Kontaveit head-to-head

Anett Kontaveit leads Jelena Ostapenko 2-0 in the head-to-head. The Estonian won their very first meeting at Ilkley in 2015 in straight sets. She doubled her tally of wins over Ostapenko in their next showdown at the 2018 Australian Open, defeating the Latvian in three sets.

Jelena Ostapenko vs Anett Kontaveit prediction

Jelena Ostapenko has clicked into gear on the lawns of Eastbourne. The former Wimbledon semifinalist has looked at home all week, racking up winners effortlessly during her matches.

Her semifinal against Rybakina was a perfect demonstration of power and accuracy. She landed 74% of her first serves and pounded 38 winners past the Kazakh while committing just 30 unforced errors. If the Latvian plays at this kind of level, she is a threat to anyone on this surface.

However, Ostapenko's style of play has its own drawbacks. She regularly aims for the lines and runs the risk of leaking too many errors. If she is unable to keep her errors at bay against Kontaveit, she will be in trouble.

The Estonian can hold her own against the biggest of hitters. She also has a mean slice with which she can change the pace of rallies or draw a short ball to put away. Kontaveit knows her way around this surface -- her only title on the WTA Tour came on grass at Den Bosch in 2017 .

Ostapenko needs to ensure she doesn't give Kontaveit too many openings. If she can cut down on her wild errors and put the ball into play consistently like she did in the semifinals on Friday, she will be able to see off the Estonian's challenge.

Prediction: Jelena Ostapenko to win in three sets.

Edited by Arvind Sriram