Jelena Ostapenko vs. Karolina Pliskova – French Open, October 1, 2020

Karolina Pliskova has been one of the most consistent players on the WTA tour for years now, but she’s yet to win a Grand Slam tournament. A feat that was achieved by her next French Open 2020 opponent Jelena Ostapenko at the age of 20 in 2017.

And yet, the Latvian youngster has faded after her early success and has been desperately trying to come back to the top tier of female tennis.

Both players have a lot to prove and a strong run in the 2020 Roland-Garros might be a good start. Of course, only one of them will reach the third round and I share my prediction for the match in this Jelena Ostapenko vs. Karolina Pliskova betting preview.

The post also includes the latest odds, analysis of both players, and a free betting pick.

The Jelena Ostapenko vs. Karolina Pliskova odds you see above are available at BetOnline, one of my favorite betting sites for tennis. The sportsbook offers excellent odds for all matches from the 2020 Roland-Garros and has some juicy promotions.

A quick look at Jelena Ostapenko’s record at the French Open paints an interesting picture. The youngster played in the tournament four times before 2020. She won in 2017 and got knocked out in the first round in the other three editions.

That pretty much sums up Ostapenko’s performance so far in her career. The Latvian has been wildly inconsistent and you never know what to expect. I assume that’s natural for a player that’s still very young.

The big question is if she can once again elevate her game and return to the elite. Ostapenko was knocked out in the first round of the 2020 Italian Open, but her performance in Strasbourg was much better.

She looked strong at the start of the French Open too, but I wasn’t impressed by her serve after she gave Madison Brengle 17 break points. If Ostapenko doesn’t improve it, Pliskova can certainly punish her.

I don’t know how Karolina Pliskova is yet to win a Grand Slam tournament. She has been part of the elite since 2016 and even reached the top spot in the WTA rankings. The Czech star still has time, though, as she is in the prime years of her career.

Pliskova’s start at the French Open was far from convincing and she lost her opening set against Mayar Sherif, looking somewhat lost in the process.

Upset brewing? ?

World No. 172 Mayar Sherif grinds out a 56 minute first set 7-6(9) against Pliskova. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/OmtEODpmvd

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) September 29, 2020

The favorite came back to win the match and improved significantly, but it was a sign that she might struggle against better opponents.

I won’t be shocked if Pliskova has to play three sets against Ostapenko too. The head-to-head history between the two shows three matches that went the distance out of their five encounters, so another close clash makes a lot of sense.

Both players have shown signs of weakness recently, so I expect a back-and-forth battle with plenty of breaks. Pliskova is more consistent than Ostapenko which should be enough to prevail over her opponent, but it won’t come easy.

I can easily see three sets here, so getting -104 for over 21 is awesome and the line could be covered in two sets as well.