Prepare for an interesting matchup at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on Wednesday, February 12, as world No. 4 Jasmine Paolini takes on Jelena Ostapenko. Paolini made it to two Grand Slam finals last year, and she did it with elite court coverage, sneaky power and good old-fashioned consistency. You know exactly what you’re getting when the Italian takes the court.
But Ostapenko might as well be called the charismatic enigma. The 2017 Roland Garros champion can look like the best player in the world one day and the worst player in the world another—and sometimes even from set to set. The only thing you know you’re getting with her is entertainment. However, I do think this match-up should be somewhat kind to her.
While Paolini is 5-2 to start the 2025 season, her wins are, for the most part, over middling players. Her best was a one-sided victory over Belinda Bencic at United Cup, but that was before the Swiss star started to find her form. Outside of that, Paolini suffered an ugly loss against Karolina Muchova at that same event, and was bounced by Elina Svitolina at the Australian Open, bageled in the final set. The Italian isn’t in the same form she was in when she went crazy on natural surfaces last year, and her first serve percentage is down from the previous four seasons.
That’s Ostapenko’s way into this match.
