Montreal 2021: Camila Giorgi vs Jessica Pegula preview, head-to-head & prediction | National Bank Open

Match details

Fixture: Camila Giorgi vs Jessica Pegula

Date: 14 August 2021

Tournament: National Bank Open 2021

Round: Semifinal

Venue: IGA Stadium, Montreal, Quebec

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $1,835,490

Match timing: Not before 6 pm local time, 10 pm GMT, 3.30 am IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Camila Giorgi vs Jessica Pegula preview

Camila Giorgi and Jessica Pegula came through hard-fought wins in their respective quarterfinals at the 2021 National Bank Open to set up a last-four meeting on Saturday.

Giorgi needed a hour and 39 minutes to close out a tight two-set win over Coco Gauff. The Italian, who had already scored upset wins over Petra Kvitova and Elise Merterns earlier in the week, was in top form and didn't allow Gauff to find any sort of rhythm during the contest.

Jessica Pegula

Pegula, on the other hand, needed three sets to fend off the challenge from a spirited Ons Jabeur. The American did well to recover after dropping the first set 1-6; although Pegula struggled on serve throughout, she was able to lift her game in the big moments.

The match marked the fourth consecutive one where Pegula was pushed to the distance. She has already beaten in-form opponents like Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Danielle Collins in similar fashion this week.

Camila Giorgi vs Jessica Pegula head-to-head

Jessica Pegula leads Camila Giorgi in their current head-to-head with a comfortable 3-1 margin. That said, the two have only played once since 2012, a match at Washington in 2019 that Pegula won comfortably.

Camila Giorgi vs Jessica Pegula prediction

Camila Giorgi has looked particularly strong on serve this week.

This is a fairly well-balanced matchup; both Camila Giorgi and Jessica Pegula have produced some of their best tennis this week.

Giorgi has been striking the ball very well, as was evident in her resounding wins over Kvitova and Gauff. The Italian's power-packed game has been firing on all cylinders, and she has also managed to keep her unforced error count in check.

The main challenge for Pegula will be to find an answer to Giorgi's piercing groundstrokes. The American enjoys slugging it out from the back of the court, but will need to play with a lot of aggression to avoid letting Girogi take control of the proceedings.

Pegula has also been vulnerable on serve of late. And against an aggressive returner in Giorgi, her double fault problem could once again come to the fore.

All things considered, this match is Giorgi's to take. If she can maintain the sort of steady level that she has shown all week, the Italian should be able to walk away with a win.

Prediction: Camila Girogi to win in two tight sets.