French Open 2022: Jessica Pegula vs Anhelina Kalinina preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Roland Garros
Match Details
Fixture: (11) Jessica Pegula vs Anhelina Kalinina
Date: 26 May 2022
Tournament: French Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 64).
Venue: Paris, France.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €21,256,800.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports, Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten.
Jessica Pegula vs Anhelina Kalinina preview
Eleventh seed Jessica Pegula will lock horns with World No. 36 Anhelina Kalinina at the French Open on Thursday, with a third-round berth up for grabs.
Pegula has been making significant strides in top-tier tournaments over the past couple of years. This has been evident this season too as she started the year with a run to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Although the Middle Eastern swing didn't work out as planned, she rediscovered her rhythm in Miami, making the semifinals.
The American carried the momentum into the next WTA 1000 event of the year in Madrid. With wins over Camila Giorgi, Bianca Andreescu and Jil Teichmann among others, she made it all the way to the final before losing to Ons Jabeur in three sets.
First hit @rolandgarros 😍 https://t.co/0hRdXnybxM
At the French Open, Pegula, however, suffered a brief lapse in concentration as she tried to close out her first-round match against Wang Qiang on Tuesday. Leading 6-2, 5-1, she allowed a late surge from the Chinese before securing a 6-2, 6-4 win on her 10th match point.
Anhelina Kalinina, meanwhile, has 15 ITF titles to her credit but none on the WTA tour. She is currently placed at a career-high ranking of 36 after some strong results over the past few weeks.
The Ukrainian made the Round of 16 in Miami and backed it up with a couple of quarterfinals on clay at Charleston and Madrid.
The 25-year-old didn't have to exert much in her Paris opener on Tuesday as her opponent Hailey Baptiste retired while trailing 2-5 in the first set.
Jessica Pegula vs Anhelina Kalinina head-to-head
Pegula and Kalinina are tied at 2-2 in the head-to-head. The Ukrainian had the upper hand in their rivalry in the initial days, winning their first two meetings at Daytona Beach and Orlando in 2018. Pegula turned the tables on Kalinina this year, coming through their Australian Open and Miami clashes.
Their most recent face-off in Rome didn't even materialize as Kalinina gave the American a walkover.
Jessica Pegula vs Anhelina Kalinina odds
All odds sourced from BetMGM
Jessica Pegula vs Anhelina Kalinina prediction
Pegula faces a stern test in Kalinina on Thursday. At the Australian Open, she needed three sets to prevail over the Ukrainian. In Miami, Kalinina retired after losing the first set 6-0.
The World No. 36 has had some confidence-boosting showings on the red dirt in the run-up to Roland Garros. She also reached her only tour-level final so far on clay in Budapest last year.
Clearly, the Ukrainian is pretty solid on the red dirt. She glides well on the surface and doesn't back off from attacking her opponents' second serve. Her aggression on returns could cause Pegula a few problems.
The 11th seed had an alarmingly low first serve percentage of 48 in her first round. The way she relaxed towards the end of the match, allowing Wang to step in and take control of rallies, doesn't bode well for her ahead of her tricky meeting with Kalinina.
Not quite Angie Kerber-level epic, but Jessica Pegula beats Qiang Wang on her 10th match point, with a topspin lob winner. Kalinina next for her. #RolandGarros
This has the makings of a tight contest, especially if Pegula doesn't serve well right from the start. Although Kalinina could make it difficult, the American's overall consistency and recent experience of making deep runs in top-tier tournaments should help her come through.
Pick: Jessica Pegula to win in three sets.
Also Check Out :- French Open 2022 Schedule