Two of the WTA’s premier players will do battle in final of the last WTA 1000 stop, at the Guadalajara Open. USA’s Jessica Pegula is chasing her first title of the season as she looks to snap her three-year title drought. But she will face a stern test of her championship credentials when she takes on the energetic Maria Sakari. Who will lift the Guadalajara crown?
WTA Guadalajara Final Prediction
Jessica Pegula vs Maria Sakkari
Head-to-head: Sakkari 3-1 Pegula
Jessica Pegula’s run to the final has been nothing short of mesmeric. Four Grand Slam champions stood in her path, but her consistent tennis reduced them to Grand Slam novices. And even in her semifinal win over Victoria Azarenka, which briefly seemed to be slipping away, she stepped up her game. It’s almost as if going down a break spurred her to unfurl her full array of shots. Now Pegula will have the chance to lift her first title of the season after falling at this stage in Madrid earlier in the year.
Maria Sakkari, meanwhile, secured her passage into the final in a dramatic and action-filled encounter against the exuberant Marie Bouzkova. The two players traded blows in a lung-busting match that was postponed overnight due to rain. The first set of that semifinal lasted 83 minutes, with Sakkari just shading it by the narrowest of margins. When play resumed on Sunday afternoon, the Greek was the more energetic of the pair and withstood Bouzkova’s pressure late on to complete the win in straight sets.
It almost feels surreal that Pegula hasn’t added to her trophy cabinet since winning the Citi Open three years ago. The American has bagged more wins than anyone else (with 37, ahead of Iga Swiatek) at WTA 1000 level since the start of last season. Sakkari will be the ultimate test. Her dogged competitiveness and athleticism make her tough to outlast from the baseline. Pegula’s noticeable improvement in her net game should aid her cause to keep the points short. She has already won five doubles titles this season and I reckon she will get the job done in Guadalajara for that elusive singles title.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
