Aryna Sabalenka vs Jessica Pegula: 2023 WTA Finals - Preview & Prediction

30/10/2023 18:05 | by Evita Mueller

Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula started off the WTA Finals with wins, so who will be the first to win two matches?

This is a very interesting matchup between two players who shined in the first round of the WTA Finals. Aryna Sabalenka demonstrated all of her power in a 6-0 6-1 beatdown of Maria Sakkari.

The world number one was amazing in that first match, but Jessica Pegula wasn't so bad in her first match. She took on Elena Rybakina and bested her comfortably in two sets to win the match.

Now, these two are playing against each other to try and secure a spot in the knockout stage of the event.

Head-to-head:

We've seen some good matches between these players in the past, though Sabalenka has mostly dominated. Five matches were played so far, and the Belarusian won four of those including the WTA Finals match last year.

That was actually the last time they played, as this will be the first one this year. Both arrived in Cancun in good spirits and after solid outings in the weeks before.

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Sabalenka does play with more force and arguably is the more consistent hitter from the baseline. I do think that Pegula might be the better pure hitter, as crazy as that sounds, because Pegula in the zone is ridiculously good.

Prediction:

Although I think Pegula could outplay her opponent, I also think that it won't happen right now. The way Sabalenka played in the opening round was just amazing. She was focused and precise with her game, and I don't think you can say that for Pegula.

She is quite streaky and can go up and down, and I just don't trust her to stay consistent enough to beat Sabalenka. It's as simple as that because these matches are generally pretty close; all the players are really good, so sometimes you have to go on by intuition.

Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in two sets.

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