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Match details
Fixture: (1) Jessica Pegula vs Irina-Camelia Begu.
Date: April 6, 2023.
Tournament: Charleston Open 2023.
Round: Third round (Round of 16).
Venue: Charleston, USA.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Outdoor clay (green).
Prize money: $780,637.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Jessica Pegula vs Irina-Camelia Begu preview
Top seed Jessica Pegula will take on World No. 37 Irina-Camelia Begu in the third round of the 2023 Charleston Open on Thursday.
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Following a first-round bye, Pegula was up against Anna Blinkova in the second round. The American was off to a fast start as she jumped to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. Her opponent briefly halted her momentum by claiming the next two games.
Pegula then broke Blinkova's serve yet again and closed out the set in the following game to clinch it. The World No. 3 was even more dominant in the second set, dishing out a bagel to win the match 6-2, 6-0.
Begu, meanwhile, defeated Dalma Galfi in the first round to set up a second round date against 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. The Romanian nabbed the first set quite easily, losing just one game in the process.
The second set was slightly more competitive, but Begu was still the better player in it. She secured a break of serve in the fifth game to go 3-2 up and solidified her lead with a service hold to make it 4-2. The 32-year old held on to her lead to win the match 6-1, 6-4.
Jessica Pegula vs Irina-Camelia Begu head-to-head
The two have faced off twice before on the WTA tour, with the head-to-head being deadlocked at 1-1. Pegula won their most recent encounter at the 2022 French Open in three sets.
Jessica Pegula vs Irina-Camelia Begu odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jessica Pegula vs Irina-Camelia Begu prediction
Pegula scored a commanding win over Blinkova to commence her campaign in Charleston. Aside from the smallest of hiccups in the first set when she lost serve, the American was totally in charge of the proceedings.
Begu played quite well herself to oust Kenin in the second round. The Romanian's a pretty good player on clay, so Pegula has her task cut out for her. The World No. 3 had to stage a comeback during their previous meeting at last year's French Open.
After losing the first set, Pegula dug deep to score a three-set victory. Begu is a decent server and her game is well-suited to clay. However, the American has consistently made deep runs in all of her tournaments this season. Given her form, she'll be the favorite to come through this clash.
Pick: Jessica Pegula to win in straight sets.
