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Match details
Fixture: (WC) Emma Raducanu vs Jelena Ostapenko.
Tournament: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2023.
Round: First round (Round of 32).
Venue: Stuttgart, Germany.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Indoor Clay.
Prize money: $780,637.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Emma Raducanu vs Jelena Ostapenko preview
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu will take on 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in the first round of the 2023 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
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Raducanu suffered an injury setback in her very first tournament of the year, the ASB Classic. She sustained an ankle injury midway through her second-round match against Viktoriya Kuzmova, forcing her to retire.
The Brit managed to recover in time for the Australian Open, but failed to get past Coco Gauff in the second round.
Raducanu then took a brief hiatus in order to recover from her health issues before making her comeback at the BNP Paribas Open. She defeated Magda Linette and Beatriz Haddad Maia en route to the fourth round before being shown the door by World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
Raducanu then faced Bianca Andreescu in the first round of the Miami Open and lost to the Canadian in three sets. She was set to participate in the Billie Jean King Cup after that, but decided to miss it in order to recover from her ongoing wrist issues.
Meanwhile, after a couple of early exits in the lead-up to the Australian Open, Ostapenko made it to the last eight of the season's first Major. Elena Rybakina then defeated her in straight sets.
The Middle East swing was underwhelming for the Latvian. She failed to win consecutive matches in Abu Dhabi and Doha, while making it to the third round in Dubai.
Ostapenko then lost to Petra Kvitova in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open. She went a step further at the Miami Open, making it to the fourth round. Up against Martina Trevisan, the 25-year-old was expected to win, but suffered a surprising straight-sets loss.
Emma Raducanu vs Jelena Ostapenko head-to-head
Ostapenko leads Raducanu 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2022 Korea Open after the Brit's mid-match retirement during their semifinal showdown.
Emma Raducanu vs Jelena Ostapenko odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Emma Raducanu vs Jelena Ostapenko prediction
Considering this will be the first match of the season on clay for both players, they might need some time to get going.
Ostapenko has more experience on clay compared to Raducanu. However, aside from her French Open triumph, the Latvian's results on the red dirt leave a lot to be desired. She managed to win just one match on the surface last year.
During their previous meeting in Seoul, Raducanu fought well and was not easily overwhelmed by Ostapenko's powerful shotmaking. The Brit went toe-to-toe with her until her body betrayed her once again. The former US Open champion also has a slightly better serve than her opponent.
Ostapenko, on the other hand, is currently ranked eighth on the tour with respect to number of double faults. However, if she manages to play with a little restraint and keep the error count low, even a fully healthy Raducanu will have a tough time overcoming her.
Pick: Jelena Ostapenko to win in three sets.
