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Match Details
Fixture: (3) Jessica Pegula vs Marta Kostyuk
Date: 20 January 2023
Tournament: Australian Open 2023
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize Money: AUD76,500,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv
Jessica Pegula vs Marta Kostyuk preview
Third seed Jessica Pegula will square off against World No. 61 Marta Kostyuk in the third round of the 2023 Australian Open on Friday.
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Pegula, who is currently at a career-high ranking World No. 3, has had an exceptional start to her year. Of the seven matches she has played thus far, the American has emerged victorious in six.
The 28-year-old’s first stint was at the United Cup, where she led her home country to glory with four match wins, including a brilliant 6-2, 6-2 victory against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
At the 2023 Australian Open, Pegula scored a spectacular win over Romanian Jaqueline Cristian 6-0, 6-1 in the first round, which was followed by her latest victory over Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 7-6 (5).
Meanwhile, Marta Kostyuk earned convincing victories over World No. 27 Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-4 in the first round and Australian wildcard entrant Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-1 in the second round.
The Ukrainian previously participated in the Adelaide International 2, where she crashed out in the opening round against American Shelby Rogers. However, at the Adelaide International 2, Kostyuk was on the crest of the wave as she cruised through her qualifiers to get into the main draw. She then triumphed against reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina before being downed by World No. 2 Ons Jabeur in a tightly-contested encounter.
Jessica Pegula vs Marta Kostyuk head-to-head
The American and the Ukrainian previously competed against each other at the 2022 Cincinnati Open. Pegula was the winner in the encounter, and their head-to-head thus stands at 1-0 in the World No. 3’s favor.
Jessica Pegula vs Marta Kostyuk odds
(All odds sourced from bet365)
Jessica Pegula vs Marta Kostyuk prediction
Jessica Pegula will be the heavy favorite in this encounter. The American has been in formidable form and is one of the top favorites to win the Australian Open title in 2023.
The 28-year-old’s clean ball-striking and ability to hit winners off of both wings are likely to cause problems for 20-year-old Kostyuk, who is still developing her playing style.
The Ukrainian, however, has recently maintained a low unforced error count, which might benefit her in her pursuit to score a Top-5 win. However, Pegula, who was a quarterfinalist in 2021 and 2022, is likely to come out with all guns blazing and see off Kostyuk, whose best result at the Australian Open has been reaching the third round.
Pick: Pegula to win in three sets.
