Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula will meet in the robin round of the 2022 WTA Finals on Friday, November 4.
In head-to-head, Sabalenka leads 3-1; they last met in the 2022 Rome Open where the Belarusian won in the round of 16 in straight sets.
Jessica Pegula, the third-ranked player in the world, did not have the best WTA Finals debut. Maria Sakkari and Ons Jabeur defeated her in straight sets in both of their matchups during the round robin.
Additionally, she and Cori Gauff lost in the doubles competition, so overall, she went winless in Texas.
Despite this, there is still a remote possibility that she will advance to the semifinals. Everything hinges on the Jabeur-Sakkari match and some complicated math.
Pegula is ranked #4 in the Group Nancy Richey, and in order for her to advance past the round robin stage, she will need to defeat Sabalenka and hope that Sakkari defeats Jabeur in straight sets.
Even then, it will come down to the set-win percentage, which Ons is currently bragging about proudly.
Jessica has performed admirably this week, all things considered. She was defeated, but not without a fight. She lost to Sakkari in straight-set tiebreaks, while she lost to Jabeur 6-1, 3-6, 3-6.
Aryna Sabalenka, the seventh-ranked player in the world right now, is in peril after falling to Maria Sakkari 2-6, 2-4. This triumph follows a three-set victory over Jabeur in the first round of play.
She and the Tunisian are tied for a spot in the semifinals with a win and a loss apiece. In contrast to Ons’s and Pegula’s set percentages of 50% (3-3) and 40% (2-3) respectively, hers is still more reasonable at 2–3.
Additionally, Sabalenka’s chances will undoubtedly be improved by a victory here, while a defeat keeps her in the running as well, at which point math will play a role.
All in all, Aryna must make sure the match is powerful and authoritative.
At this point, past pedigree does not matter much – which, albeit – is quite sound with numerous WTA 1000 titles, three Grand Slam semifinals, and a stellar doubles record.
Sabalenka is the favourite to win this match; she currently leads Pegula in the head-to-head comparison, form, and momentum.
She has a better chance of winning than the American, which should give her more confidence going into the Friday match.
Tip: Sabalenka to Win, Over 20.5 Games: 11/7
