WTA Finals 2022: Jessica Pegula vs Maria Sakkari preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Jessica Pegula vs (5) Maria Sakkari.
Date: October 31, 2022.
Tournament: WTA Finals 2022.
Round: Round robin (Group Nancy Richey).
Venue: Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Category: Year-ending championships.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $5,000,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Jessica Pegula vs Maria Sakkari preview
Third seed Jessica Pegula will face fifth seed Maria Sakkari in the round-robin stage of the WTA Finals on Monday.
Pegula has had an impressive season so far, recently winning a much-deserved maiden WTA 1000 title at the Guadalajara Open, where she beat Elena Rybakina, Bianca Andreescu, Sloane Stephens and Victoria Azarenka before defeating Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 in the final.
The American also reached the final of the Madrid Open as well as two WTA 1000 semifinals and two Grand Slam quarterfinals.
Sakkari, on the other hand, had a good start to the season, making the final of the Indian Wells Open and the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy while also reaching the semifinals of the Qatar Open.
The Greek tapered off a little during the latter part of the grass-court season and had disappointing results in the US Open Series and the tournaments that followed.
However, she rediscovered her form at the Guadalajara Open, where she reached the final following wins over Marta Kostyuk, Danielle Collins, Veronika Kudermetova and Marie Bouzkova. She lost to Pegula in straight sets.
Jessica Pegula vs Maria Sakkari head-to-head
Sakkari leads 3-2 in the head-to-head against Pegula. The two have locked horns thrice so far this season, with their last encounter coming in the final of the Guadalajara Open last week.
Jessica Pegula vs Maria Sakkari odds
*Odds will be updated when available*
Jessica Pegula vs Maria Sakkari prediction
Pegula has been in impressive form over the past few months and recently beat Sakkari in Guadalajara. She will enter the match as the favorite to win, but the Greek should not be written off after her performance in Mexico.
Pegula plays an aggressive brand of tennis, but can defend well too. She strikes the ball cleanly and can hit winners from all parts of the court.
Sakkari also hits her shots with a lot of power and plays a high-intensity game. She has a good serve which won't be easy for Pegula to return. However, the World No. 5 is prone to making unforced errors, especially during clutch moments.
Pegula beat Sakkari rather comprehensively in Guadalajara and given her form and more balanced game, she should be able to come out on top on Monday as well.
Pick: Pegula to win in three sets.