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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs (2) Jessica Pegula
Date: 18 February, 2023
Tournament: Qatar TotalEnergies Open
Round: Final
Venue: Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $780,637
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Iga Swiatek vs Jessica Pegula preview
Top seed Iga Swiatek will face Jessica Pegula in the final of the Qatar Open on Saturday.
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Swiatek entered the WTA 500 event as the defending champion and received a walkover to the second round. There, she thrashed Danielle Collins 6-0, 6-1 to book her place in the quarterfinals.
The Pole was scheduled to play Belinda Bencic but the Swiss player was forced to withdraw due to fitness. She thus reached the semifinals and thrashed Veronika Kudermetova 6-0, 6-1 to book her place in the final.
Jessica Pegula competed at the Qatar Open as the second seed, which saw her receive a walkover to the second round. Here, she faced Jelena Ostapenko and beat her 6-2, 2-6,7-5 to reach the quarterfinals.
Pegula faced Beatriz Haddad Maia in the last eight and beat her 6-3, 6-2 to set up a semifinal clash against Maria Sakkari. The American won the opening set 6-2 but her Greek opponent bounced back in the second by winning it 6-4. Pegula dominated the final set and won it 6-1 to reach the final of the Qatar Open.
Iga Swiatek vs Jessica Pegula head-to-head
Swiatek leads 4-2 in the head-to-head against Pegula but the latter won their last meeting 6-2, 6-2 at the United Cup.
Iga Swiatek vs Jessica Pegula odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Iga Swiatek vs Jessica Pegula prediction
Swiatek has dominated Pegula in most of the matches they've played, but the American beat her in their last meeting. So, she will be brimming with confidence ahead of Saturday's final. That said, the Pole will still be the favorite to win, given how she has fared in the tournament so far.
Swiatek has only dropped two games at this year's Qatar Open and has looked dominant in each of her matches. The Pole will look to attack from the start of the match and put pressure on her opponent. Apart from her aggression, Swiatek's return game and on-court aggression will also come in very handy.
Pegula has produced some brilliant tennis over the past few months but she will be feeling the effects of two gruelling matches on the same day. The American has an aggressive style and while that might help her, she cannot afford to hit too many unforced errors.
Pegula beat Swiatek in their last meeting but given how the latter has done lately, she should be able to successfully defend her title in Doha.
