Tokyo 2023: Jessica Pegula vs Cristina Bucsa preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Toray Pan Pacific Open

Match Details

Fixture: (2) Jessica Pegula vs Cristina Bucsa

Date: September 27, 2023

Tournament: Toray Pan Pacific Open 2023

Round: Second Round (Round of 16)

Venue: Tokyo, Japan

Category: WTA 500

Surface: Hard

Prize money: $780,637

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

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Jessica Pegula vs Cristina Bucsa preview

Pegula at the 2023 US Open.

After a first-round bye, second seed Jessica Pegula will take on Cristina Bucsa in the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

A string of consistent performances throughout the season has solidified Pegula's status as a top player this season. At the Majors, she reached a couple of quarterfinals in singles, namely at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Alongside Austin Krajicek, Pegula also finished as the runner-up in mixed doubles at the US Open. A quarterfinal showing in women's doubles in New York helped her claim the No. 1 ranking for the first time in that discipline. She bagged her second WTA 1000 title in singles at the Canadian Open.

Pegula also won the debut edition of the United Cup with her fellow Americans. The 29-year old made it to the final of the Qatar Open as well, but lost to Iga Swiatek. Her record for the season in singles stands at 46-15.

Bucsa faced qualifier Rina Saigo in the first round here. The Spaniard wrapped up the first set in 29 minutes with the loss of just one game. The second set was also quite easy for her as she broke her opponent's serve twice to win the match 6-1, 6-2.

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Jessica Pegula vs Cristina Bucsa head-to-head

Pegula leads Bucsa 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won in their previous encounter at the 2023 Wimbledon in straight sets.

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Jessica Pegula vs Cristina Bucsa odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Sets
Jessica Pegula	-800	+1.5 (-3000)	2 sets (-350)
Cristina Bucsa	+500	-1.5 (+825)	3 sets (+220)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

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Jessica Pegula vs Cristina Bucsa prediction

Cristina Bucsa at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

After getting broken at the start of the match, Bucsa turned up the heat and didn't drop her level against Saigo. It was a much-needed win for her as it marked just her 10th main draw victory at the WTA level.

Bucsa will face a much sterner test against Pegula. The American has been one of the best performing players on the tour this season. She could be off to a slow start as this will be her first match since playing in the US Open.

Bucsa has neither defeated a top 10 player in her career nor claimed a set against them. She has the potential to go toe-to-toe with them for a while, but her game breaks down eventually. The Spaniard could find it tough to sneak past Pegula, whose overall consistency might prove to be too hard to tame for her in the end.

Pick: Jessica Pegula to win in straight sets.