Day 5 at the WTA Finals in Cancun will see all the decisions in the Bacalar group. Jessica Pegula has already secured her spot in the semifinals but the second spot is still up for grabs, with a rematch of the Australian Open final set to decide the second semifinalist from this group. Maria Sakkari no longer has any chance to qualify but she will certainly do her best to avoid ending this tournament winless.
WTA Finals Day 5 Predictions
Jessica Pegula vs Maria Sakkari
Head-to-head: Sakkari 5-4 Pegula
While this might be a dead rubber, the two players will certainly not see it as such. Pegula has been playing at an exceptional level so far in Cancun and will be looking that momentum going ahead of a likely semifinal showdown against Coco Gauff. Meanwhile, Sakkari definitely doesn’t want to leave Cancun winless and she showed a much better level against Rybakina after her matchday 1 horror show against Sabalenka. That said, Pegula definitely has the edge here given how well she’s been playing so far.
Prediction: Pegula in 3
Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 4-2 Rybakina
Sabalenka won the big one in the Australian Open final, but Rybakina actually won their last two meeting this year, including a recent one in Beijing. Whoever wins this match will qualify for the semifinals, but there’s actually added stakes for Sabalenka. The #1 scenario is pretty simple right now: if Iga Swiatek wins this tournament she will finish the year #1; if she doesn’t win it Sabalenka will finish #1. If Sabalenka beats Rybakina here, she will face Swiatek in the semifinals and have the chance to stop her herself. If she loses here, her fate will be entirely out of her hands. This extra motivation of defending her #1 ranking might just give Sabalenka the extra motivation she needs to pull through here and set up that blockbuster semifinal showdown.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
