Stuttgart 2023: Ostapenko vs Raducanu Tennis Prediction and Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Stuttgart Open first-round match featuring Jelena Ostapenko vs Emma Raducanu on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.

Ostapenko vs Raducanu Match Preview and Prediction

The Stuttgart Open has thrown up a marquee first-round match pitting former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko against 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu. Who will prevail?

Jelena Ostapenko is returning to the Stuttgart Open for the first time since 2021. The Latvian had a terrible clay swing last season by her own high standards, playing in just three tournaments and winning one match. She’ll be hoping to emulate her great start to the year on hard courts to the European clay. Can she overcome Emma Raducanu on Tuesday?

Emma Raducanu has had her fair share of poor luck with injuries since winning the US Open. Raducaunu was unavailable for selection for Great Britain at the Billie Jean King Cup, as she tried to prioritize for the Stuttgart Open. the 20-year-old has played just four tournaments in 2023 and was last in action at the Miami Open where she lost to Bianca Andreescu in the first round.

Ostapenko vs Raducanu Prediction and Pick

Jelena Ostapenko leads Emma Raducanu 1-0 in their head-to-head, with the win coming in Seoul last September. Raducanu actually retired from that match while trailing 0-3 in the third set. We thought Raducanu had put her injury woes behind the rearview mirror, but had the misfortune of rolling her ankle at the start of the new season. If Raducanu keeps her fitness in check, she is capable of playing top-10 level tennis as she demonstrated in Indian Wells (reached the fourth round) and in her gripping battle against Andreescu in Miami. The Stuttgart Open is an important tournament for the Briton who is the brand ambassador of Porsche, the main sponsor of this event. She had been working on getting herself to full fitness and in competitive form having elected to sit out from Team GB’s Billie Jean King Cup participation. Both players will take time to settle here, but we like the price on Raducanu.