Abu Dhabi Open: Ostapenko vs Zheng Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open as Jelena Ostapenko takes on Qinwen Zheng in the second round on Wednesday, February 8, 2023.

Jelena Ostapenko won a heavyweight contest against last year’s Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins. Another test lies in wait for the Latvian power-hitter who will take on China’s rising star Qinwen Zheng. Who will prevail and move into quarterfinal of the Abu Dhabi Open?

Jelena Ostapenko picked up from where she left off. After reaching the Australian Open quarterfinal for the first time, Ostapenko maintained her momentum with a three-set win over Danielle Collins. It was a chaotic match that ebbed and flowed in both directions. But it was Ostapenko who made the crucial moments count. The Latvian’s second serve in the first and third sets proved telling, edging out the American in over two hours.

Qinwen Zheng, meanwhile, had no such trouble in rubbing shoulders with Rebecca Marino. The Chinese young gun dismissed the Canadian 6-3 6-3 in a clinical performance. Zheng fired 10 aces, won 89% first-serve points, and saved the one break point she faced in the match. Will she keep up this hot start at the Abu Dhabi Open when she faces Jelena Ostapenko?

Qinwen Zheng owns a 1-0 record over Jelena Ostapenko. She defeated the Latvian in the first round of the US Open last season in three sets. And the signals suggest Zheng might pull off a second win in a row in the series at the Abu Dhabi Open. Ostapenko posted 44 unforced errors in her opener. Her risk-tolerant approach yielded the win in the end, but largely due to Collins’ very own error-strewn performance in which she recorded a similar number of unforced errors. If Zheng maintains a healthy first-serve percentage as she did so well on Tuesday, she has a very good chance of knocking off the Latvian by taking command of baseline rallies.