San Diego Open 2022: Iga Swiatek vs Jessica Pegula preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs (4) Jessica Pegula.
Date: October 15, 2022.
Tournament: San Diego Open 2022.
Round: Semifinal.
Venue: Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, California, United States.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Prize money: $757,900.
Match Timing: Not before 2 pm local time, 9 pm GMT, 5 pm ET, 2:30 am IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Iga Swiatek vs Jessica Pegula preview
Three-time Major champion Iga Swiatek will take on World No. 6 Jessica Pegula in the semifinals of the 2022 San Diego Open on Saturday.
Swiatek set up a quarterfinal date with Coco Gauff following a second-round victory over Qinwen Zheng. Their last meeting took place in the final of the French Open earlier this year, with the Pole coming out on top to win the title.
Swiatek was off to a hot start, completely dominating Gauff to clinch the opening set by dishing out a bagel. She continued her momentum to go 2-0 up in the second set as well. The two remained solid on serve until the end, when the World No. 1 broke the teenager's serve yet again to win the match 6-0, 6-3.
Swiatek has now reached the semifinals of a tournament for the 11th time this year and has won her previous eight encounters at this stage.
Jessica Pegula defeated Coco Vandeweghe in the previous round to make the quarterfinals, where fellow American Madison Keys awaited her. The World No. 6 started the match by securing a break of serve and solidified her lead with a hold of serve to go 2-0 up.
The two remained solid on serve thereafter, with Pegula taking the opening set after serving it out. Keys was the first to gain the upper hand in the second set, snagging a break of serve in the sixth game to lead 4-2.
Pegula broke back immediately to get back on serve. She then went on to claim the last three games of the match to win 6-4, 7-5 and reach her fourth semifinal of the season.
Iga Swiatek vs Jessica Pegula head-to-head
The two have faced off four times before, with Swiatek leading Pegula 3-1 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2022 US Open in straight sets.
Iga Swiatek vs Jessica Pegula odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Iga Swiatek vs Jessica Pegula prediction
Swiatek was back to her dominating best in the previous round against Gauff. She didn't drop her serve even once, while winning 81% of her first serve points. The World No. 1 was mixing up her serve excellently, switching between flat and top spin to set the tone for the rallies.
Pegula's consistency in her gameplay was once again rewarded, as an error-strewn Keys was unable to overcome her. However, she has lost all three of her matches against Swiatek this year, all of them in straight sets.
The World No. 1 is able to read Pegula's tactics like an open book. The American will need to come out all guns ablazing if she wants a different outcome this time around. But given the performance by Swiatek in the previous round, she seems in the zone at the moment and primed for yet another victory over Pegula.
Pick: Iga Swiatek to win in straight sets.