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Match Details
Fixture: (6) Jessica Pegula vs (8) Barbora Krejcikova
Date: November 5, 2024
Tournament: WTA Finals 2024
Round: Group Stage
Venue: King Saud University Indoor Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Category: Year-end championships
Surface: Hard (Indoor)
Prize Money: $15.25 million
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Jessica Pegula vs Barbora Krejcikova preview
World No. 6 Jessica Pegula will take on reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in the group stage of the WTA Finals 2024.
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Pegula was up against fellow American Coco Gauff in her first match of the round robin phase. The 30-year-old initially recovered after going down a break in the opening set. However, she fell behind once again, and couldn't get back on serve after that, which cost her the set.
Gauff took a 2-0 lead to kickstart the second set. Pegula showed signs of a fight as she bagged the next two games to level the score. However, her resistance crumbled after that, and she dropped the next four games to slump to a 6-3, 6-2 defeat.
Krejcikova's WTA Finals campaign started against World No. 2 Iga Swiatek. The Czech wasted no time in securing an advantage, and broke her opponent's serve in the very first game of the match. She backed it up with a hold of serve to make it 2-0, and remained in front until the end to take the first set.
Krejcikova pushed herself closer to the finish line by breaking Swiatek's serve twice to go 3-0 up in the second set. However, the Pole dug deep and reeled off the next four games to get back on serve. The Czech later served to stay in the set at 6-5, and dropped serve to lose the set.
It looked like Swiatek would run away with the match after securing a 5-0 lead in the decider. Krejcikova halted her momentum with a two-game run to make it 5-2. However, the latter got broken once again and lost the match 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Jessica Pegula vs Barbora Krejcikova head-to-head
Their rivalry is currently tied at 1-1. Krejcikova won their previous encounter at the Dubai Tennis Championships 2023 in three sets.
Jessica Pegula vs Barbora Krejcikova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jessica Pegula vs Barbora Krejcikova prediction
Both players are in need of a win if they want to keep their hopes of advancing to the semifinals afloat. Krejcikova is ranked third in the group as she at least won a set against Swiatek, while Pegula's straight sets loss pushed her to the bottom of the group.
Pegula was in great form during the North American hardcourt swing a few months ago. She defended her Canadian Open title, and was the runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open. She has a 3-3 record since her loss in the US Open final.
Krejcikova's form also took a turn for the worse following her Wimbledon triumph. She has a 2-5 record on hardcourts since her victory at the grasscourt Major. Neither player has a distinct advantage in this match-up as they each have a win over the other. However, Pegula's overall consistency does make her a slight favorite heading into this encounter.
Pick: Jessica Pegula to win in three sets.
