Two entertaining semifinal matches are set on Saturday at the WTA Toronto 1000, Canada. The seventh seeded Jessica Pegula faces two-time former champion Simona Halep in the first match of the day, whilst the fourteenth seeded Karolina Pliskova faces the red-hot Beatriz Haddad Maia in the evening. But who will advance to Sunday\u2019s final?<\/p>\n
Head-to-head:\u00a0<\/strong>first meeting<\/p>\n Pegula and Halep will go head-to-head for the first time when they meet in Saturday\u2019s first semifinal in Toronto. Pegula is the highest seed left in the draw, but Halep is the favourite to win the title from here.\u00a0It\u2019s back-to-back National Bank Open semifinals for Pegula who will be keen to go a couple of steps further than she went in Montreal last year.<\/p>\n The American started the week with a bye before defeating Asia Muhammad 6-2 7-5. Pegula eliminated last year\u2019s champion at the round of 16 stage, defeating Camila Giorgi 3-6 6-0 7-5. A spot in the semifinals was secured thanks to a commanding 6-3 6-3 win over Yulia Putintseva.<\/p>\n Simona Halep has been dominant this week. The Romanian is seeking her third National Bank Open title having won the tournament in 2016 and 2018, both of those were in Montreal however. Halep is yet to drop a set this week, but has been tested in her last couple of matches. A 6-2 7-5 win over Jil Teichmann in the round of 16 was followed by a 6-4 7-6 quarterfinal win over Cori Gauff in what was her toughest test of the tournament thus far.<\/p>\n I\u2019m liking Halep in this matchup. Pegula is solid, but her level is unspectacular, she has mostly made the most of a favourable draw and hasn\u2019t been in the greatest form prior to this week. I don\u2019t think Pegula will be able to outhit Halep from the baseline, and I don\u2019t think she has the patience or stamina to outlast the Romanian from the baseline either. This spells trouble for the American, the type of matchup that Halep thrives in.<\/p>\n Prediction: Halep in 2
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