Jessica Pegula vs Elena Rybakina Prediction – Tennis Picks 10-29-2023

Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina will square off in the opening match of the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico. The match will be played on Sunday, October 29, 2023.

At last, after a furore about the construction project for this year’s WTA Finals, the tournament organizers have been able to piece together the stadium court just in time for the first match on Sunday evening. Jessica Pegula, playing at the season finale for the second year in a row, is looking for an improved performance and outcome. Last year, the consistent American lost all three of her singles matches. Her campaign in doubles also ended on a whimper, failing to tally a single win alongside Coco Gauff. But this year, the schedule is a lot better for Pegula, who arrived in Cancun on the back of her second title of the season in Seoul and refreshed after taking a fortnight’s rest.

Elena Rybakina is set to make her debut at the 2023 WTA Finals. The Kazakh will feel hard done by at missing out on the eight-woman cohort at last year’s tournament having won a maiden Grand Slam. But because Wimbledon did not grant ranking points, Rybakina’s journey to the year-end championships was delayed, as was her place in the world’s Top 10. Rybakina hasn’t let that disappointment to affect her performances. She has put together another great year, becoming the only woman to win two WTA 1000s in 2023, and is in a tight battle with Coco Gauff for the year-end Top 3 ranking.

It is Jessica Pegula who leads the head-to-head 2-1. They have played in Mexico before, Pegula won that clash en route to her first WTA 1000 title in Guadalajara last year. Rybakina, however, exacted revenge, coming out on top in a semifinal in Miami. This being the first round-robin match, both players will look to exercise caution and it would be best to steer away from picking a winner outright. It’s been unpleasantly windy in Cancun, which is to be expected for a coastal city, and Rybakina could be the player struggling to get her game firing. On that note, we are backing Pegula to win at least a set at -222.