Madrid Open 2023: Jessica Pegula vs Veronika Kudermetova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Fixture: (3) Jessica Pegula vs (12) Veronika Kudermetova.
Date: May 3, 2023.
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open 2023.
Round: Quarterfinal.
Venue: Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €7,652,174.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Jessica Pegula vs Veronika Kudermetova preview
World No. 3 Jessica Pegula will take on Veronika Kudermetova in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Madrid Open on Wednesday.
Following wins over Magdalena Frech and Marie Bouzkova, Pegula reached the fourth round, where she was up against Martina Trevisan. The American went up a break in the first set, but surrendered her advantage immediately in the next game.
Pegula secured another break of serve to lead 5-3 and then proceeded to serve out the set with ease after that. The duo struggled to hold serve in the second set as there were six breaks of serve in all, with Trevisan coming out on top to clinch the set.
Pegula struck first in the deciding set to go 3-2 up, but Trevisan leveled the score immediately. The American then bagged the next three games to win the match 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.
Kudermetova, meanwhile, defeated Nuria Parrizas Diaz and Anastasia Potapova to make it to the fourth round. She faced compatriot and World No. 8 Daria Kasatkina for a spot in the last eight.
An early break of serve put Kudermetova in the lead in the opening set. While she was unable to close out the set at 5-3, she got the job done by breaking her opponent's serve in the final game of the set.
Kasatkina responded strongly in the next set, dropping just one game to claim it. Kudermetova had the upper hand in the final set, but squandered her advantage as her fellow Russian managed to level the score.
Now serving to stay in the match at 6-5, Kudermetova saved a couple of match points for a gutsy service hold and forced a tie-break. She then came out on top in the tie-break to win the match 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (2).
Jessica Pegula vs Veronika Kudermetova head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Jessica Pegula vs Veronika Kudermetova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jessica Pegula vs Veronika Kudermetova prediction
Kudermetova has been tested every step of the way en route to the last eight, needing three sets to win all of her matches here. Her fourth-round clash against Kasatkina had plenty of momentum shifts with the 26-year emerging victorious after a near three-hour tussle.
Pegula survived a stern against Trevisan as well. The American fought tooth and nail and was ultimately rewarded for it. The conditions in Madrid helped her ball-striking to a great extent, making her even more dangerous.
Kudermetova has spent a lot of hours on the court already, so fatigue could play a role in this match-up. Against a consistent player like Pegula, she'll need to be patient and not pull the trigger too early, or else could find herself on the backfoot.
Given how they've played here so far, this appears to be a fairly balanced contest. However, Pegula usually does find that extra gear when push comes to shove, so she'll be expected to rise to the occasion and advance further.
Pick: Jessica Pegula to win in three sets.