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Match Details
Fixture: Paula Badosa vs (20) Jelena Ostapenko.
Date: May 17, 2023.
Tournament: Italian Open 2023.
Round: Quarterfinals.
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €3,572,618.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Paula Badosa vs Jelena Ostapenko preview
Former World No. 2 Paula Badosa will take on World No. 20 Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open.
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Badosa started the WTA 1000 tournament by beating Germany's Anna-Lena Friedsam 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(2). She then produced one of the upsets of the competition by ousting fourth seed Ons Jabeur 6-1, 6-4 to book her place in the third round.
Here, she registered a comprehensive 6-4, 6-2 win over 32nd seed Marta Kostyuk to set up a fourth-round clash against Karolina Muchova. The Spaniard won the opening set 6-4 but the Czech fought back hard in the second to clinch it on a tiebreak and force the match into a decider.
Badosa, however, dominated the third set and won it 6-2 to book her place in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open.
Jelena Ostapenko, meanwhile, entered the WTA 1000 event as the 20th seed, thus receiving a bye to the second round, where she took on Sorana Cirstea. The Romanian put up a tough fight but Ostapenko managed to overcome her 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to set up a third-round clash against tenth seed Barbora Krejcikova.
She won a nervy opening set on a tiebreak before winning the second 6-0 to book her place in the fourth round. Here, the Latvian took on eighth seed Daria Kasatkina and won the opening set 6-4. The Russian showed some resistance and won the second by the same margin before Ostapenko bageled her in the third to reach the quarterfinals of the Italian Open.
Paula Badosa vs Jelena Ostapenko Head-to-Head
Badosa has a 2-1 edge over Ostapenko in the head-to-head. They last met during the 2022 Sydney International, where the Spaniard won in straight sets.
Paula Badosa vs Jelena Ostapenko Odds
Odds will be released when available
Paula Badosa vs Jelena Ostapenko prediction
Badosa seems to be playing much more relaxed after getting the burden of being a seeded player away from her. However, she has retained her tendency to commit unforced errors, which has often held her back. She played for three hours against Muchova on Tuesday, meaning that there is a risk of exhaustion as she heads into her match against Ostapenko.
Meanwhile, Ostapenko has meant business when it comes to her return game and has done a great job of breaking her opponent's serves repeatedly. Her ability to pierce through what is not an easy draw at the Italian Open showcases just how good she has been at the Italian Open so far.
On one hand, there is Paula Badosa, who has reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal after more than a year, and on the other hand, there is Jelena Ostapenko, who continues to display her prowess on the clay court. With all signs pointing to a three-set thriller, there is a fair chance that the Latvian could grind this one out considering her recent performances.
Pick: Ostapenko to win in three sets.
