WTA Dubai: Sabalenka vs Ostapenko Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 WTA Dubai Tennis Championships as Aryna Sabalenka takes on Jelena Ostapenko in the third round on Wednesday, February 22, 2023.

In her first match as a newly-crowned Grand Slam champion, Aryna Sabalenka picked up from where she left off. The Belarusian star will now be locked in a heavyweight contest against Latvia’s finest Jelena Ostapenko at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. Who will prevail?

Aryna Sabalenka made an emphatic statement with her second-round win at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. She is not in Dubai to bask in her recent Australian Open glory, but motivated for a title run at the WTA 1000 tournament. Sabalenka, playing for the first time since Melbourne, did not take time to adjust to the conditions and general feel of the ball. She demolished USA’s Lauren Davis 6-0 6-1 in just 59 minutes and becomes the second woman to win her first 12 matches of the season in the past eight years.

Jelena Ostapenko, meanwhile, has been busy in the Middle East during the time Aryna Sabalenka was away. But she had not advanced beyond the Round of 16 in Abu Dhabi nor Doha until she returned to the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships where she is the defending champion. Ostapenko was able to string back-to-back wins for the first time since Melbourne after dispatching Czech teenager Linda Fruhvirtova 6-2 6-0.

Aryna Sabalenka leads Jelena Ostapenko 1-0 in their head-to-head on the WTA Tour. That meeting took place almost four years ago and is unlikely to have any bearing on the outcome of this match at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. Gone are the days when Sabalenka required time to adjust to the court conditions and playing surface in a new tournament. Her turnaround from 12 months ago has taken many by surprise including herself who remains in disbelief. But in her post-match presser she explained how that success has fuelled her motivation to achieve even more. Judging by her opening win here, she will overpower the Latvian – something we don’t usually see often in Ostapenko’s matches.