Sydney International 2022: Anett Kontaveit vs Ons Jabeur preview, head to head and prediction

Match Details

Fixture: (4) Anett Kontaveit vs (7) Ons Jabeur

Date: January 13, 2022

Round: Quarterfinal

Venue: Sydney, Australia

Category: WTA 500

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Match Timing: 11 am local time, 00:00 am GMT, 5 30 am IST

Prize Money: $703,580

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

Anett Kontaveit vs Ons Jabeur preview

Fourth seed Anett Kontaveit takes on seventh seed Ons Jabeur for a place in the semifinals of the Sydney International.

Last year was the best of Kontaveit's career. While the Estonian did not impress at the Majors, she made up for it in other tournaments. Kontaveit's best result at a WTA Masters 1000 event was a quarterfinal run at Indian Wells.

Kontaveit scalped four titles in 2021 which included wins at the Ostrava Open and the Kremlin Cup. After breaking into the top 10 of the WTA rankings, Kontaveit became the first Estonian to qualify for the year-end WTA Finals.

Jabeur also made giant strides last year, winning the first title of her career at the Birmingham Classic. The Tunisian then made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the last eight of the Toronto Masters.

Jabeur's exploits saw her become the first Arab player in history to enter the top 10 of the WTA rankings.

Both players are competing in their first tournament of 2022 and have been dominant in their first two matches. Kontaveit started with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Zhang Shuai before beating qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-1.

Jabeur beat wildcard Astra Sharma in her opening-round match before eliminating reigning champion Petra Kvitova in the next round.

Anett Kontaveit vs Ons Jabeur Head to Head

Thursday will mark the fifth meeting between the two players, with Jabeur leading the head-to-head 3-1. Their last meeting was at Indian Wells last year, where Jabeur triumphed 7-5, 6-3.

Anett Kontaveit vs Ons Jabeur prediction

Given the recent form of both players, the match promises to be a tightly contested affair. Both players have performed well on hardcourts, with Kontaveit having a win percentage of 76.5% to Jabeur's 65.8%. The Estonian will rely heavily on her serve and her aggressive playing style will no doubt make things difficult for her Tunisian opponent.

Jabeur plays high-risk tennis, utilizing slice and drop shots in particular. Her hard-hitting, unpredictable style can surprise even the best of opponents. Jabeur has one the last three encounters against Kontaveit and will fancy her chances of making it four on the trot against the World No. 7.

Prediction: Jabeur to win in three sets.