Baton Raton, Florida native Jessica Pegula of the United States will go up against No.3 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus for Monday’s 2024 Cincinnati Open title.
If she wins her showdown with Sabalenka, Pegula can become a back-to-back WTA 1000 tournament champion, a feat that hasn’t been done since 1973.
One will reign for the first time in Cincinnati 🏆#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/IHKFVrwnbr
— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) August 18, 2024
The American retained the National Bank Open title in Toronto a week ago, and now she has a chance to capture another premier event crown in Cincinnati.
Pegula punched her ticket to the finals after fending off the feisty Paula Badosa Gibert in an action-packed three-set match 6-2 3-6 6-3.
The Americans also eliminated Karolina Muchova of Czech Republic 5-7 6-4 6-2, Taylor Townsend of the United States 6-2 6-3, Laylah Fernadez of Canada 7-5 6-7(1) 7-6(3) and Gibert to secure her third finals appearance in 2024 and 21st overall.
Sabalenka will also come into the showdown with Pegula brimming with confidence after she upset No.1 seed Iga Swiatek 6-3 6-3. The win ended her three-match losing streak against the world’s No.1 women’s singles player and Olympic bronze medalist.
Apart from Swiatek, Sabalenka also defeated Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 7-5 6-2 and Liudmila Samsonova of Russia 6-3 6-2 in what could be a memorable Cincinnati Open campaign.
Pegula vs. Sabalenka Prediction:
Pegula is undefeated in the championship this year with a 2-0 record. She is also a career 7-13 in championship matches.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka holds a 4-2 head-to-head series lead over Pegula, though the American decimated her in their last encounter at the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, 6-4 6-3.
Sabalenka may have just defeated the No.1 player in the world, but Pegula has all the momentum on her side with a 9-match winning.
My prediction for Jessica Pegula vs. Aryna Sabalenka: Pegula will win over Sabalenka and become a double champion heading into the US Open championship.
THE CONVERSATION.