Aryna Sabalenka (WTA - Twitter)
Another intriguing match awaits us as world No. 3 Jessica Pegula squares off against world No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA Finals on Friday.
The 28-year-old has a 0-2 record so far and would be desperate to get off the mark. She came into the tournament after winning the Guadalajara Open, her first WTA 1000 title but the road has been bumpy at the Paris Masters so far.
Pegula began her campaign in Bercy with a loss against Maria Sakkari. The match was decided in two competitive sets as the Greek star won 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-4). Pegula moved on to her next match against world No. 2 Ons Jabeur. The first set was all about the American star as she decimated her opponent en route to a 6-1 win in 25 minutes. However, the Tunisian bounced back strongly to win the match 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
The Belarusian is 1-1 in the competition so far. She had a disappointing campaign in the Guadalajara Open where she lost in the second round to Liudmila Samsonova.
In the opening match in the Paris Masters, Sabalenka went up against Ons Jabeur. The latter won the first set convincingly but Sabalenka made a strong comeback to win the next two sets by close margins and eventually got on the board with a 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 triumph. In the second match, the 24-year-old was destroyed by Maria Sakkari as the latter won the match 6-2, 6-4.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 3-1 in favor of Sabalenka. She defeated Pegula in straight sets in their previous encounter at the 2022 Italian Open. Both players still have a chance to make it to the semis but need a favorable result in the other group match between Sakkari and Jabeur.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.
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