Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Doha match.
Iga Świątek is confidently marching towards a fourth consecutive title on these courts, but she faces a serious obstacle – she has never beaten Ostapenko.
Jelena Ostapenko
Ostapenko is having an excellent tournament and has already secured her return to the WTA top 30. She has won five of her last six semi-finals and continues to perform strongly on hard courts. So far in Doha, the Latvian hasn’t dropped a set, dominating Ons Jabeur (6:2, 6:2), Jasmine Paolini (6:2, 6:2), and Liudmila Samsonova (7:6, 7:5). Ostapenko is a nightmare opponent for Świątek – in four previous meetings, she has won all four, three of which were on hard courts. Their last encounter was at the 2023 US Open, where Ostapenko claimed victory in three sets (3:6, 6:3, 6:1).
Iga Świątek
Świątek is having an excellent season, winning 12 of 14 matches on hard courts. She is a three-time champion in Doha, holding a tournament record of 15 consecutive wins. In the quarter-finals, she defeated Elena Rybakina (6:2, 7:5), but she struggled against Linda Noskova (6:7, 6:4, 6:4) in the previous round. A key concern – Świątek has failed to progress past the semi-finals in her last five WTA 1000 tournaments.
Jelena Ostapenko vs Iga Świątek Prediction
Świątek is in good form, but Ostapenko remains her toughest opponent, having defeated Iga three times on hard courts. Jelena hasn’t lost a set in Doha so far, and her aggressive playing style will once again trouble Świątek. Ostapenko should at least take a set in this battle.
