Qatar Open 2022: Jelena Ostapenko vs Amanda Anisimova preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (15) Jelena Ostapenko vs Amanda Anisimova.

Date: 22 February, 2022

Tournament: Qatar Open

Round: Second round (Round of 32)

Venue: Doha, Qatar

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: $2,331,698

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

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Jelena Ostapenko vs Amanda Anisimova preview

Ostapenko at the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships.

15th seed Jelena Ostapenko will take on Amanda Anisimova in the second round of the 2022 Qatar Open on Tuesday.

Ostapenko kicked off her Qatar campaign with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Oceane Dodin. The Latvian was down by a couple of breaks in the opening set, but staged a comeback to clinch it.

She pulled away in the second set to win the match and continue her winning streak. Ostapenko has found considerable success in Qatar previously, but only in doubles. She won the title once and finished as runner-up twice.

Ostapenko won the Dubai Tennis Championships last week. She defeated four Grand Slam winners in a row -- Sofia Kenin, Iga Swiatek, Petra Kvitova and Simona Halep -- en route to the title clash. She then defeated Veronika Kudermetova in the final to win her fifth career title.

After a slow start to the season, the 2017 Roland Garros champion has been in fine form over the last couple of weeks.

Amanda Anisimova at the 2022 Australian Open.

Amanda Anisimova, meanwhile, defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia 7-5, 6-4 in the first round. The American started her year by winning her first title in more than two years at the Melbourne Summer Set.

At the Australian Open, she upset defending champion Naomi Osaka in the third round. Anisimova lost to eventual winner and World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the fourth round. The 21-year-old couldn't make it to the main draw in Dubai last week after losing in the qualifying rounds, but appears to be back to her best in Qatar.

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Jelena Ostapenko vs Amanda Anisimova head-to-head

This will be their first meeting on tour, so the head-to-head is 0-0 at present.

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Jelena Ostapenko vs Amanda Anisimova prediction

Jelena Ostapenko at the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships.

Considering her recent form, Ostapenko will be the favorite to win this contest. This will be a battle between two of the tour's biggest hitters, who enjoy playing very high-risk tennis. Both players are known to pummel the ball with their powerful groundstrokes.

Ostapenko, however, has been slightly more restrained this season. She's moved her opponents around the court and hit with a little more margin. However, her serve is still a little wobbly at times. This could spell doom against Anisimova, who's an excellent returner.

The former Roland Garros champion has managed to overcome the weaknesses in her game this season. Against Anisimova, she faces yet another challenging player, but should be able to survive and move further into the tournament.

Prediction: Jelena Ostapenko to win in three sets.