Jelena Ostapenko vs Jaqueline Cristian Preview & Prediction | 2024 French Open | First Round

Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!

2017 Roland-Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko has failed to reach the round of 16 here since, with Jaqueline Cristian a tough opening draw in these conditions.

START DATE/TIME: Sunday 26th May 2024, UK – not before 12:00 / US EST – not before 07:00 / US PST – not before 04:00

VENUE: Roland Garros Stadium, Paris, France

SURFACE: Outdoor clay

HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – Eurosport / US – NBC, Peacock and Tennis Channel

HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – discovery+ / US – NBC, Peacock and Tennis Channel

TICKETS: Visit this link for the latest Jelena Ostapenko vs Jaqueline Cristian ticket information

JELENA OSTAPENKO VS JAQUELINE CRISTIAN PREDICTION

World number 10 Jelena Ostapenko burst onto the scene in 2017 as a precocious 20-year-old Roland-Garros champion and, after several seasons in the relative wilderness, she has rebuilt herself into a top 10 contender once again. The 26-year-old started 2024 off on fire to lift the Linz Open title and reach finals in each of her first three tournaments (singles or doubles) but recent early exits to the likes of Anna Kalinskaya and Linda Noskova are symptomatic of a cooling off period since.

It has taken the likes of Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka to beat her in her most recent two tournaments on clay but world number 67 Jaqueline Cristian is an excellent clay-courter on her day, with recent deep runs in Charleston and Madrid suggesting she is capable of causing an upset. Cristian won their first encounter at the St Petersburg Open back in 2021 but Ostapenko has improved significantly since.

The Latvian, however, has lost in the first round in three of her six campaigns here in Paris, since winning in 2017, to make this worth keeping separate from any promising accumulators. Otherwise, back Ostapenko to win outright.

JELENA OSTAPENKO VS JAQUELINE CRISTIAN TIP: JELENA OSTAPENKO TO WIN