Adelaide International 2024 Final: Jelena Ostapenko vs Daria Kasatkina preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (6) Jelena Ostapenko vs Daria Kasatkina

Date: January 13, 2024

Tournament: Adelaide International 2024

Round: Final

Venue: Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, Adelaide, Australia

Category: WTA 500

Surface: Outdoor hard

Prize money: $922,573

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports

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Jelena Ostapenko vs Daria Kasatkina preview

Jelena Ostapenko will be vying for a seventh WTA title when she faces familiar foe Daria Kasatkina in the final of the 2024 Adelaide International on Saturday (January 13).

Ostapenko has had a good start to her year in the lead-up to next week's Australian Open. The 2017 French Open champion started off her season by reaching the quarterfinals in Brisbane last week, where she was denied by Victoria Azarenka in a controversy-filled match.

Not to be deterred, she has brought her best level to Adelaide this week. After beating tough opponents like Caroline Garcia and Sorana Cirstea in three tough sets, the sixth seed blitzed past Ekaterina Alexandrova and Marta Kostyuk in straight sets to reach the final of the WTA 500 tournament.

By virtue of her Adelaide run, Ostapenko is also set to break back into the women's top 10 in next week's WTA rankings. Since the Latvian's last hardcourt title came at the Dubai Tennis Championships two years ago, she will be motivated enough to bring her best level to the final.

Daria Kasatkina, meanwhile, has replicated Ostapenko's start to the 2024 WTA tour season, reaching the quarterfinals and the final in Brisbane and Adelaide, respectively. Currently ranked 15th, the 26-year-old had begun the 2023 WTA tour placed at a career-high eighth in the world.

The Russian, however, tumbled outside the top 10 last June after failing to defend her 2022 Roland Garros semifinalist points. She has been playing well since then though, reaching the final at the 500-level event in Eastbourne and the last-four at the Zhengzhou Open.

Jelena Ostapenko vs Daria Kasatkina head-to-head

Ostapenko leads Kasatkina by a margin of 5-2 in their head-to-head meetings. Their most recent encounter came at the 2023 Italian Open, where the Latvian beat her Russian opponent in three sets.

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Jelena Ostapenko vs Daria Kasatkina odds

(Odds will be updated when they are released.)

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Jelena Ostapenko vs Daria Kasatkina prediction

There is no love lost between Jelena Ostapenko and Daria Kasatkina. At the 2017 US Open, the Latvian gave a cold handshake to her Russian opponent, which seemingly miffed the latter. Kasatkina even admitted recently that there was "a lot of tension" between the two players.

Against that background, fans will be treated to a great match, as both players would hate to lose. Ostapenko is one of the most aggressive players on the WTA tour. The 26-year-old likes swatting groundstroke winners for fun from both wings.

She is also arguably the most aggressive returner on the WTA tour. Having said that, while her groundstrokes are impeccable, her serve requires some work.

Kasatkina, on the other hand, lacks the firepower of her arch-nemesis. The Russian makes up for it with her versatility, hitting slices and drop shots to disrupt her opponents' rhythm. She also doesn't have a great serve though, which might put her at a disadvantage.

The contrast in their playing styles will likely translate into a close tussle. Ostapenko, however, will likely come away with the title victory if she employs an aggressive return strategy on Kasatkina's underpowered serve.

Pick: Ostapenko to win in three sets.