'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match Details
Fixture: (4) Jessica Pegula vs Lauren Davis
Tournament: Wimbledon 2023
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: London, United Kingdom
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £44,700,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN & RDS | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports
Jessica Pegula vs Lauren Davis preview
Fourth seed Jessica Pegula will kickstart her Wimbledon 2023 campaign with an all-American first-round clash against World No. 44 Lauren Davis.
Trending
Wimbledon is the only Slam where Pegula is yet to reach the quarterfinals. A third-round showing in 2022 remains the World No. 4's best performance at the grasscourt Major.
However, with a quarterfinal appearance in her only grasscourt tournament of the season in Eastbourne, Pegula will be eager to carry the momentum into SW19. The 29-year-old beat quality opponents in Qinwen Zheng and Camila Osorio before her run was ended by her younger compatriot and doubles partner Coco Gauff.
Pegula has had an overall productive season, with a runner-up finish in Doha being her best result. She has also made the semifinals in Dubai, Miami and Charleston and the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and Madrid.
Having been a part of quite a few big matches this year, the highly consistent American will hope to make it deep at her least successful Slam.
Meanwhile, Lauren Davis is a former World No. 26 player with two singles titles, the latest of which came earlier this year in Hobart. The 29-year-old won seven straight matches after starting her campaign in qualifying at the WTA 250 hardcourt event.
Since then, though, the World No. 44 has had only a couple of notable results, reaching the semifinals at the WTA 250 event in Strasbourg and the WTA 125 event in Reus, both on clay.
Davis played two Wimbledon warm-up tournaments in Birmingham and Eastbourne this season. While she crashed out in the first round in the former, Davis qualified for the main draw of Eastbourne before losing in the opening round.
Jessica Pegula vs Lauren Davis head-to-head
Pegula has a 3-2 edge over Davis in their head-to-head. Davis won their first two encounters at Albuquerque in 2012 and Washington DC in 2016.
Since then, Pegula has dominated this rivalry, winning their last three showdowns in Quebec City in 2018, and Newport Beach and Washington DC in 2019.
Jessica Pegula vs Lauren Davis odds
(Odds sourced from oddschecker.com)
Jessica Pegula vs Lauren Davis prediction
Clearly, Lauren Davis' overall record this season doesn't inspire much confidence. Although she has a trophy in singles, something Pegula hasn't, the lower-ranked American has gone off the boil since her early-season exploits.
Davis lacks in power and is more comfortable playing a physical brand of tennis, which won't help her much on a quick surface like grass. Moreover, her serve could go awry under pressure, something the aggressive Pegula will look to feast on.
The World No. 4 has been one of the cleanest ball-strikers off both wings recently. Accuracy, power as well as big-match experience-wise, Pegula has the upper hand in this matchup and should smoothly sail into the second round.
Pick: Jessica Pegula to win in straight sets
