Preview
Sabalenka would have liked her chances at the Madrid Open, where she was the defending champion, after finishing runner-up at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. She was, however, paired with Amanda Anisimova, a player she had lost all three of her previous matches to. Sabalenka was unable to defeat the American again, falling 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to Anisimova.
Sabalenka faced Zhang Shuai in the second round of the Italian Open and played her best match of the year so far, dominating her opponent 6-2, 6-0 in under an hour.
Jessica Pegula recently finished runner-up at the Madrid Open, the best result of her singles career. To reach the final, she defeated players such as 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, 2021 Canadian Open winner Camila Giorgi, and Kaia Kanepi. Ons Jabeur, on the other hand, defeated the American 7-5, 0-6, 6-2 to win her first WTA 1000 title.
Pegula began her Italian Open campaign with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Liudmilla Samsonova. In the second round, she faced Anhelina Kalinina, but the Ukrainian withdrew due to an upper back injury, giving Pegula a walkover into the next round.
When is Sabalenka vs Pegula?
- Date: Thursday, May 12, 2022
- Time: 11:00 am ET
Location:
- Venue: Grand Stand Arena
- Capacity: 8000
The Swiatek vs Ruse match will occur at the Grand Stand Arena. The venue can host up to 8000 people.
Read Also: Swiatek vs Ruse: Time, How to Watch, Odds, Head to Head and Prediction
Match Details
- Match: Aryna Sabalenka VS Jessica Pegula
- Round: Round of 16
- Venue: Grand Stand Arena, Rome, Italy
- Surface: Clay
- Prize Money:€2,527,250
- Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Sabalenka vs Pegula head-to-head
The two have met three times before, with Sabalenka holding a 2-1 advantage in the head-to-head. She won their most recent meeting in straight sets at the 2021 Madrid Open. Both of the Belarussian’s victories over Pegula have come on clay.
Sabalenka 2 : 1 Pegula
How to watch Sabalenka vs Pegula?
- USA: For USA residents, Tennis Channel will broadcast live the Sabalenka vs Pegula match. You can watch the game live on their official website.
- UK: UK viewers can watch the action unfold live on Amazon Prime Video.
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Canada: Canadians can watch all of the action live on DAZN, TSN, and Rogers Sportsnet.
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Australia: Fans in Australia can watch the live broadcast on beIN Sports.
Odds:
Moneyline:
- Aryna Sabalenka: -135
- Jessica Pegula: +105
Handicap Bets:
- Aryna Sabalenka: -1.5 (-350)
- Jessica Pegula: +1.5 (+220)
Total Sets:
- Aryna Sabalenka: 2 sets (-190)
- Jessica Pegula: 3 sets (+135)
Sabalenka vs Pegula Prediction:
While Sabalenka has a win over Pegula, the American has been more consistent this year and has momentum on her side. Sabalenka’s poor results this year can be attributed to her problems with serving. Sabalenka’s serve, on the other hand, was firing on all cylinders during her second-round win in Rome, with six aces and a single double fault. She also won 80 percent of the first serve points.
Pegula, on the other hand, got off to a slow start in her first round against Samsanova, but recovered quickly to win the second set. The American reached the quarterfinals in Rome last year and will be buoyed by her recent performance in Madrid. Even though Pegula’s groundstrokes are powerful, they pale in comparison to Sabalenka’s. The Belarussian is one of the most powerful hitters on the tour, frequently overwhelming her opponents with her raw power.
After a performance like Wednesday’s, it’s difficult to say how close to her best working level Aryna Sabalenka is, but this clash with in-form Jessica Pegula should provide more answers. The Belarussian has a 2-1 head-to-head record against Pegula, most recently defeating the American at this stage of last season’s Madrid Open on her way to the title, and she has won both of their clay-court meetings. Pegula has the better track record and a useful rest after Anhelina Kalinina withdrew from their 2nd round match, but backing former world No. 2 Sabalenka to win at least a set looks like the right call here.
Prediction: Jessica Pegula will triumph in three sets.
