tennis | Monday, February 6, 2023 9:11 AM (Revised at: Monday, February 6, 2023 9:12 AM)

Monday Tennis Best Bet: WTA Abu Dhabi, Danielle Collins vs Jelena Ostapenko

Jon Reid

Danielle Collins vs Jelena Ostapenko Best Bet: Monday, February 6th

What a week for Alycia Parks, as she extends her win streak on indoor hard courts and claims a WTA 250 title in Lyon, beating a slew of strong players en route, including Danka Kovinic to cash our bet on Friday.

This week, the WTA Tour shifts to the Middle East and Europe, with a 500-level tournament in Abu Dhabi, as well as a 250 in Linz, Austria.

For Monday’s selection, we’ll look at the match between Danielle Collins and Jelena Ostapenko.

In this article:

Danielle Collins vs Jelena Ostapenko Preview
Danielle Collins vs Jelena Ostapenko Best Bet

Danielle Collins vs Jelena Ostapenko Preview

February 6th, 14:00 (UK Time)

If there were a match you’d want to try to tune into on the women’s side of things on Monday, it’d be this one.

Not only do these two possess massive amounts of power to their games, but they’re also both animated characters on the court. From the boisterous celebrations that have had some cheekily nickname the American “DanYell” to the attitude, reactions and almost laughably poor challenges of Ostapenko, this one should provide entertaining play on several fronts.

In terms of the actual matchup, Collins has a bit more to her game than Ostapenko. While not known for overly consistent play, she’s not nearly as erratic from the baseline or with double faults as her opponent. They can both absolutely crunch winners from the forehand wing, but Collins’ backhand is borderline elite, where it can be more of a liability for Ostapenko. Finally, when it comes to fitness, it isn’t particularly close, with Collins certainly the more likely to be the player that can handle a longer, more physical match.

When it comes to elo ratings on hard courts? Collins is once again in that elite territory, knocking on the door of the top 10 with a rating over 1,900. Ostapenko’s standing in that regard is nothing to scoff off but still trails the American by nearly 70 points.

Danielle Collins vs Jelena Ostapenko Best Bet

For my money, if Collins stays healthy for the duration of the match, she’s just better – and somehow more consistent – than her Latvian opponent.

That isn’t reflected enough in the markets, that have her a slight favourite, so I’m happy to get involved and take a position on her to win this one.