2021 Western & Southern Open Round of 16 – Angelique Kerber vs Jelena Ostapenko Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
Where is Angelique Kerber vs Jelena Ostapenko taking place? Angelique Kerber vs Jelena Ostapenko will take place at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Ohio, USA
When is Angelique Kerber vs Jelena Ostapenko on and what time does it start? Thursday 19th August, 2021 – not before 16:00 (UK)
What surface is Angelique Kerber vs Jelena Ostapenko being played on? Angelique Kerber vs Jelena Ostapenko will take place on an outdoor hard court
Where can I get tickets for Angelique Kerber vs Jelena Ostapenko? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Angelique Kerber vs Jelena Ostapenko
What channel is Angelique Kerber vs Jelena Ostapenko on? Angelique Kerber vs Jelena Ostapenko will be televised on the Amazon Prime Video app on smart TVs
Where can I stream Angelique Kerber vs Jelena Ostapenko? Amazon Prime subscribers can stream Angelique Kerber vs Jelena Ostapenko live via their platform
THE PREDICTION
World number 21 Angelique Kerber wisely took a few weeks off the tour after a stellar run to the semi-finals of Wimbledon last month where she lost to eventual champion Ash Barty. The 33-year-old exploded into form this summer on her favoured grass, winning a first title since 2018 at the Bad Homburg Open, and she looks to have taken that momentum straight into Cincinnati with two impressive wins over Maria Sakkari and Elina Svitolina so far. World number 32 Jelena Ostapenko also enjoyed the grass season, where she won her first WTA title since 2019 at the Eastbourne International. The Latvian has beaten strong opposition too this week in Tamara Zidansek and the 13th seed Jennifer Brady.
A win for Ostapenko earlier this year on clay at the Italian Open and a win for Kerber on grass at Wimbledon in 2018 is unsurprising for both players on their strongest surfaces. With their head-to-head finely poised at 1-1, a first meeting on hard will be interesting indeed. There are plenty of similarities between the two this season with both finding some of their best form again and this should be a really exciting match on Thursday. On recent results, take Kerber to win here as one of the best defenders out there capable of combating Ostapenko’s power strokes.
