Aryna Sabalenka vs Jessica Pegula Prediction – Tennis Picks 10-31-2023

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face USA’s Jessica Pegula in the second round-robin match at the 2023 WTA Finals. The match will be played on Tuesday, October 31, 2023.

Aryna Sabalenka delivered a performance of supreme authority in her opening group stage match, completing a 6-0, 6-1 whitewash of Greece’s Maria Sakkari in just 74 minutes. If there were doubts that the Belarusian was going to take her eyes off the ball at the season finale, then she quashed them, dominating the baseline rallies with her limitless power and taking command of her return games, converting five of her nine break points. Despite the comprehensive score, Sabalenka had some jittery moments in the match, which she was able to overcome, saving all five break points on her own serve.

Jessica Pegula, for her part, scored her first-ever win at the WTA Finals, with an excellent performance to take down the big-serving Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-2. The match was even for most of the first set, but Rybakina completely lost her way, which was rather strange. The American became the first player to win the opening match in Cancun, benefitting from an error-strewn display by the Kazakh. Rybakina tallied 35 unforced errors. By contrast, the consistent Pegula managed over half of that number at 16. After giving away the first break of the match in the first set, Pegula ended up winning 10 of the last 12 games.

Aryna Sabalenka leads 4-1 in their head-to-head. Their last meeting was actually at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth last season. The Belarusian powerhouse won in straight sets. It was a tight scoreline that day and I expect something similar here. Pegula’s versatility and top-notch defensive powers make her a suitable pick to emerge from this group alive. But if she were to take a loss, this is the one match where she’s likely to stumble. Sabalenka delivered a real statement in her opening match, and should easily back it up with another convincing win.