Dubai Tennis Championships 2022: Ons Jabeur vs Jessica Pegula preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (8) Ons Jabeur vs Jessica Pegula
Tournament: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2022
Date: 16 February 2022
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Dubai, UAE
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 3 pm GMT, 10 am ET, 8.30 pm IST
Prize money: $703,580
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Ons Jabeur vs Jessica Pegula preview
Eighth seed Ons Jabeur will face World No. 14 Jessica Pegula on Wednesday with a spot in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships up for grabs.
After claiming the title at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi in December, Jabeur has been plagued by injuries at the start of the 2022 season. A back injury cut her journey short in Sydney and forced her to pull out of the Australian Open as well.
Now fully recovered, the World No. 10 will be looking to make a deep run in Dubai. Playing after a long hiatus is never easy and she looked rusty in her first-round match with Vera Zvonareva on Tuesday.
Power serve 💥
@Ons_Jabeur escapes a test from Zvonareva to secure her place in Round 2!
#DDFTennis https://t.co/JlaXyNXPd1
She dropped her serve four times before completing a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 win over the two-time Grand Slam runner-up. The Tunisian will be keen to raise her level in what could be a tough second-round clash with Pegula.
Pegula, meanwhile, has been playing some of her best tennis of late. After a quarterfinal finish at Indian Wells to close out last season, the American suffered two first-round exits this year before reaching the last eight at the Australian Open.
Her exploits have propelled her to a career-high ranking of No. 14.
The 27-year-old has carried that confidence to Dubai this week, hammering Coco Gauff in the first round. Following a day's rest, Pegula will be hoping to come out firing on all cylinders against Jabeur in the second round.
American Jessica Pegula carrying over her form from the #AusOpen.
She beats Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-4 at the #DDFTennis championships.
Rough patch for Gauff - she's had two consecutive first round exits.
Ons Jabeur vs Jessica Pegula head-to-head
Pegula leads Jabeur 2-1 in the head-to-head. They split their last two meetings, both of which came in 2021. While Pegula earned a 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-0 win in Montreal, Jabeur gained revenge in Chicago with a 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 win.
Ons Jabeur vs Jessica Pegula prediction
This is a match-up of two contrasting styles. While Pegula is a steady baseliner who likes to engage in long rallies, Jabeur is an aggressive player who likes to take the ball early and also use her guile and finesse to change the pace of the ball.
Their last two matches have gone the distance and that could be the case once again on Wednesday. Pegula might just be the slight favorite, given her form coming into this contest. She landed 66% of her first serves against Gauff in the first round and played a clean match in general.
If Pegula can improve her serving numbers and keep her unforced errors in check, she has a decent chance of beating Jabeur.
The Tunisian wasn't at her best against Zvonareva, but still scraped out a three-set win. Her first-serve percentage was as low as 48% and she coughed up five double faults as well. Clearly Jabeur needs a bit of time to get back to her rhythm.
The odds are in favor of the American and she will certainly fancy her chances of reaching her second quarterfinal of the season.
Prediction: Jessica Pegula to win in three sets.