Aryna Sabalenka and Jelena Ostapenko will take on each other in the second round of the 2023 WTA Dubai Open on February 22.
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There was no chance that Aryna Sabalenka would lose for the first time this year. The re-appointed world No. 2 defeated lucky loser Lauren Davis, 6-0, 6-1, in just under an hour in her first match since winning the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup. She blasted six aces and won 88% of the points on her first serves. The Belarusian has had a flawless season, winning the Australian Open and Adelaide. She ended the previous one with a WTA Finals runner-up finish and a semifinal appearance at the US Open. Although she faced unseeded opponents in the quarterfinal and semifinal, she didn’t lose a set during her first six rounds, which helped her win in Melbourne.
With a 6-2, 6-0 demolition of the 17-year-old rising star and Chennai champion Linda Fruhvirtova, Jelena Ostapenko continued her title defence campaign. After defeating Katarina Zavatska 6-1, 6-4, it was the ideal follow-up, bringing her season win-loss record to a respectable 9-5. The Latvian had never advanced past the quarterfinals in Dubai before the tournament the previous year. For her first and only hard-court victory since the end of the 2019 season, she defeated Veronika Kudermetova in the final after defeating Iga Swiatek, Petra Kvitova, and Simona Halep in gruelling three-set contests.
| Aryna Sabalenka vs Jelena Ostapenko | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | February 22, 2023 |
| Surface | Hard |
| Tournament | Dubai Open |
| Stage | Round of 16 |
| Time (India) | 8:30 pm |
| Time (Dubai) | 7 pm |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Lauren Davis | 6-0, 6-1 (W) |
| Elena Rybakina | 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 (W) |
| Magda Linette | 7-6, 6-2 (W) |
| Donna Vekic | 6-3, 6-2 (W) |
| Belinda Bencic | 7-5, 6-2 (W) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Linda Fruhvirtova | 6-2, 6-0 (W) |
| Katarina Zavatska | 6-1, 6-4 (W) |
| Jessica Pegula | 2-6, 6-2, 5-7 (L) |
| Madison Keys | 7-5, 6-2 (W) |
| Qinwen Zheng | 7-6, 6-1 (L) |
1-0 ahead is Aryna Sabalenka. She beat Jelena Ostapenko, who was ranked 75th, 6-1, 6-2, in 55 minutes in Zhengzhou in 2019 while she was among the top 15. The Latvian, who reached the Melbourne quarterfinals last month, is 2-3 against top-2 opponents, with both of her victories coming in China: Garbine Muguruza in 2017 and Karolina Pliskova in 2019.
Aryna Sabalenka and Jelena Ostapenko will take on each other in the second round of the 2023 WTA Dubai Open on February 22.
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