Canadian Open 2023 final: Jessica Pegula vs Liudmila Samsonova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (4) Jessica Pegula vs (15) Liudmila Samsonova
Round: Final
Date: August 13, 2023
Venue: Toronto, Canada
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $6,600,000
Live telecast:- USA: Tennis Channel | UK: Amazon Prime | Australia: beIN Sports | Canada: TSN
Jessica Pegula vs Liudmila Samsonova preview
Fourth seed Jessica Pegula will face 15th seed Liudmila Samsonova in the final of the Canadian Open.
Pegula received a bye to the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament by virtue of being one of the top eight seeds. Here, she beat Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round, where she triumphed 6-4, 6-0 over Jasmine Paolini.
Pegula then faced doubles partner Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals and beat her 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 to set up a semifinal clash against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The 29-year-old Pegula dominated the first set and won it 6-2 to take the lead in the match.
The second set saw a number of breaks but would be determined by a tiebreak. Swiatek won it to force the match into a decider. Both players broke each other twice in the final set before Pegula made a third break in the last game to win 6-4 and reach her third WTA 1000 final.
Samsonova started the Canadian Open by beating Katerina Siniakova 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and followed it up by defeating Qinwen Zheng 6-3, 6-2. The Russian faced second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the Round of 16 and beat her 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-3 to book her place in the quarterfinals.
Here, Samsonova defeated 12th seed Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-4 to set up a semifinal clash against third seed Elena Rybakina. The Kazakh won the opening set 6-1 and was a set away from reaching the final.
However, Samsonova took the second set by the same margin to force the match into a decider. The Russian broke early in the third set and did so again to win it 6-2 and reach her maiden WTA 1000 final.
Jessica Pegula vs Liudmila Samsonova head-to-head
Pegula leads 2-1 in the head-to-head between the two. The last meeting between them came in the opening round of last year's Italian Open, with the American winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Jessica Pegula vs Liudmila Samsonova odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Jessica Pegula vs Liudmila Samsonova prediction
Pegula will enter the match as the favorite to win, especially after beating Swiatek. However, Samsonova will be in good spirits after beating Rybakina.
Pegula has been quite solid on her first serve so far in Montreal, serving 16 aces and winning 126 out of 182 points. The American has looked in good touch and will have to attack from the start of the match. Pegula has shown a lot of composure in previous matches and if she's mentally strong, beating her will be very difficult.
Samsonova's serve is a key weapon, having served 33 aces so far in Montreal. However, she has also produced 32 double faults and will have to be careful not to serve too many of those against Pegula, who has won 65.7% points on her opponent's second serve so far at the Canadian Open. The Russian will have to bring on her A-game if she is to come out on top.
Samsonova has beaten two out of the top 3 players in the WTA rankings and while she will make things difficult for Pegula, the American should just about manage to come out on top and win her second WTA 1000 singles title.
Pick: Pegula to win in three sets