Charleston Open 2023: Jessica Pegula vs Paula Badosa preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (1) Jessica Pegula vs Paula Badosa.
Date: April 7, 2023.
Tournament: Charleston Open 2023.
Round: Quarterfinal.
Venue: Charleston, USA.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Outdoor clay (green).
Prize money: $780,637.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Jessica Pegula vs Paula Badosa preview
Top seed Jessica Pegula will square off against World No. 33 Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Charleston Open on Friday.
A dominant 6-2, 6-0 win over Anna Blinkova put Pegula into the third round, where she was up against Irina-Camelia Begu. An early break of serve helped the American secure a 2-0 lead, but her opponent managed to get back on serve down the line to make it 5-4.
Pegula then bagged the next three games to in a row to clinch the set. She raced to a 4-0 lead in the second set. With the finish line in sight, the World No. 3 strangely went off the rails. Begu swept the next six games to take the set.
The Romanian didn't stop after that as she jumped to a 4-0 lead in the third set. The momentum swung in Pegula's favor from that point on as she reeled off six consecutive games to win the match 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
Badosa, meanwhile, scored wins over Mayar Sherif and Leylah Fernandez to reach the third round, where Diana Shnaider awaited her. The Spaniard dished out a breadstick to her opponent to claim a one-sided first set.
Both players had a couple of break point chances early on in the second set, but were unable to capitalize on them. Badosa had another opportunity in the eighth game and managed to break her opponent's serve to go 5-3 up. She served out the match after that to win 6-1, 6-3.
Jessica Pegula vs Paula Badosa head-to-head
Pegula leads Badosa 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2022 Miami Open following the Spaniard's mid-match retirement.
Jessica Pegula vs Paula Badosa odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jessica Pegula vs Paula Badosa prediction
Pegula looked to be on course for a routine win over Begu in the previous round, but dropped the ball completely halfway through the match. Nevertheless, she managed to recover nicely to score a gritty win.
Badosa, on the other hand, cruised to a comfortable victory over Shnaider. She has won all three of her matches here in straight sets. The Spaniard loves playing in Charleston as she has now made it into the quarterfinals at the venue for the third year in a row.
Badosa has played some focused, aggressive tennis, keeping her error count fairly under control. She has the game to handle Pegula's shotmaking and go toe-to-toe with her. However, the American is more tenacious on the court.
A tough challenge from Badosa is expected given how she has played in the previous rounds. However, based on their overall results, Pegula is still the firm favorite to advance further.
Pick: Jessica Pegula to win in three sets.