WTA Dubai Open: Elise Mertens vs. Jessica Pegula 3/11/2021 Tennis Prediction

Tenth seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium faces unseeded American Jessica Pegula in the Quarter-Finals of the 2021 Dubai Open WTA event. The match is scheduled to be played on Thursday March 11th, 2021 at a time yet to be determined. 

This is a match between two of the most in-form players on the WTA Tour and it is sure to be an exciting one. Who will win to advance to the Semi-Finals?

Elise Mertens is currently ranked #18 in the world and has been been as high as #12. After a very impressive 2020 season where she was one of the most consistent performers, she will be aiming for a strong 2021 season to break into the top 10 for the first time. She had a very bright start to the year, claiming the Gippsland Trophy title in January. She then reached the Fourth Round at the Australian Open and has continued that form into Dubai, looking very impressive thus far. She struggled a bit in the First Round against Victoriya Tomova before whipping Shelby Rogers and Caroline Garcia in straight sets to reach this far. She is hitting the ball very well, taking it very early which is a sign of confidence. She enters this match as the favorite but knows it will not be easy against the fast-rising Pegula. 

Jessica Pegula is currently ranked a career high #43 in the world and has had an outstanding start to the 2021 season, announcing herself on the world stage. She reached the Quarter-Finals at the Australian Open and the Semi-Finals in Qatar. Pegula has gotten off to an amazing start here in Dubai, breezing through her first three matches for the loss of only eight games, including a 6-0, 6-2 demolition of second-seeded Karolina Pliskova in the Round of 16. In this form she will be extremely hard to beat and despite being lower ranked here she will be extremely confident of victory. 

I expect this to be a very close match and am going with the unseeded American to cause the upset here. She has been in stunning form here in Dubai and I can see her going all the way to win her first WTA title. Mertens has a lot of experience and can keep it interesting, but expect Pegula to advance here.