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Match Details
Fixture: (9) Jelena Ostapenko vs (Q) Maria Lourdes Carle
Date: April 27, 2024
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Third Round (Round of 32)
Venue: La Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €7,877,020
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+/TSN3
Jelena Ostapenko vs Maria Lourdes Carle preview
Ninth seed Jelena Ostapenko will duke it out against qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle in the third round of the 2024 Madrid Open on Saturday.
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Ostapenko received a bye into the second round, where she was up against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. The match started with four straight breaks of serve between them in the first set.
Ostapenko broke her opponent's serve once again and didn't squander her lead this time to capture the set. The Latvian cruised through the second set as she dropped just one game in it to score a 6-3, 6-1 win.
Carle came through the qualifying rounds and then scored a 6-2, 6-2 win over Emma Raducanu in the first round. She took on 17th seed Veronika Kudermetova in the second round.
Carle got broken to start the match but bagged the next four games to go 4-1 up. Kudermetova tried to make a comeback with a late break, but the Argentine broke back immediately to take the set.
Carle rallied from 3-1 down in the second set to lead 5-3. While she dropped her serve while trying to close out the match, she got the job done by breaking Kudermetova's serve for a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Maria Lourdes Carle head-to-head
The two have not crossed paths on the tour prior to this, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Maria Lourdes Carle odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jelena Ostapenko vs Maria Lourdes Carle prediction
Ostapenko notched up her first win of the clay swing with her defeat of Bouzas Maneiro. She'll now aim to improve her record in Madrid, which currently stands at 4-6 even after her latest win.
Carle has impressed this week with her wins over Raducanu and Kudermetova. This is her best result at WTA level so far. She'll be keen to complete a hat-trick of high-profile scalps with a win over Ostapenko as well.
Carle's defensive skills and court coverage could give Ostapenko a tough time. The latter does struggle against elite defensive players and if the Argentine plays at a high level, another upset could be on the cards.
Ostapenko's game is quite unpredictable at times. She often finds a way to get through a match even when her error count is high. As long as the Latvian plays some measured tennis, she should be able to make it through this clash.
Pick: Jelena Ostapenko to win in three sets.
