WTA Eastbourne: Katie Boulter vs Jelena Ostapenko; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

Home favorite Katie Boulter will take on the former world number 5, Jelena Ostapenko, in the R16 of the Eastbourne International. Both have had a decent season so far, as they have won two titles each in 2024. However, now that they come face to face with each other, who will take the first step forward towards grabbing their third in Eastbourne?

Katie Boulter successfully defended her title in Nottingham, but she was forced to retire in her first match in her next tournament in Birmingham. However, she looks ready to roar in Eastbourne and has already got off to a winning start. Latvia’s Ostapenko loves playing at this venue as she has many fond memories here, being the 2021 victor. It’ll be a tough battle to see if she can repeat a similar feat this year as well.

Katie Boulter vs Jelena Ostapenko: Preview

Apart from winning two titles this season, Katie Boulter has also reached one QF. In Eastbourne, she defeated Croatia’s Petra Martic in her R32 match by 6-1, 7-6(8). Boulter hit five aces and six double faults against the Croatian. She won 67% of her first-serve and 71% of her second serve. Boulter managed to convert all 4 breakpoints while giving away 2/6.

She has shown an impressive form on the women’s tour this year with 95 aces. However, she has committed quite a few double faults as well (136). She has won 74.8% of her service games and 34.3% of her return games.

Jelena Ostapenko, on the other hand, has reached two QFs this year, aside from a title triumph. She defeated Belgium’s Greet Minnen in her R32 match by 7-6(3), 6-1. Ostapenko hit only one ace in the entire match, accompanied by three troublesome double faults. She won 65% of her first serve and 63% of her second serve. However, on the breakpoints, she was 7/10 but gave away 4/6.

Her numbers do not paint a picture of consistency, as the Latvian tennis star has hammered 130 aces and 170 double faults. She has won 69.3% of her service games and 37.4% of her return games.

Boulter vs Ostapenko: Head-to-Head

It’s world number 13 versus the number 32! However, they haven’t played against each other before in their careers. Looking at their current form, this match will surely come up with a lot of fireworks. Katie Boulter’s best record in this tournament has been reaching the third round in 2022. Can she make a longer run this time around?

Prediction: Boulter to win this match in three sets

If anything keeps Katie Boulter ahead in this contest, it’ll surely be the home support. She has been playing with a lot of confidence at the moment and has a win-loss record of 21-11 this season. However, Jelena Ostapenko also has a good win-loss record (23-11) this year. Looking at the numbers and previous results, the Latvian looks to be quite impressive, but Boulter has been playing a different brand of tennis this year.

Katie Boulter’s incredible serving ability and attacking style of play may come in handy on this surface. She can generate mind-boggling power with her groundstrokes, something that Jelena Ostapenko needs to watch out for. Ostapenko, on the other hand, is an aggressive baseliner. She has a strong backhand and can also hit a lot of forehand winners, but her major weakness is her high error rate.

Her fearless brand of tennis often draws in a high number of errors. If she can find a bit of consistency with her serve, then she can be a real threat on this surface. However, with the support of the home crowd, in-form Katie Boulter is most likely to come out as a winner of this epic contest.