Tennis

Jessica Pegula Indian Wells 2023: First BNP Paribas Open Title in Sight?

As a player who has reached at least the quarter-final of every tournament she has played this year, Jessica Pegula is undoubtedly one of the toughest players to face on the WTA tour right now. Although the American did win the United Cup title in January, she’s still hunting for her first WTA singles title of the year. Interestingly, the 29 year old reached the final of the Doha Open last month, losing out to World number 1 Iga Swiatek. Can she go all the way in this tournament? Let’s take a look at her chances.

Jessica Pegula Indian Wells 2023 Odds

These are the odds offered on Jessica Pegula to win the BNP Paribas Open title:

The odds in this article were correct at the time of writing, and odds are subject to change. We recommend checking with the bookmaker before placing the bet.

Ahead of the fourth round of the Indian Wells Open, Jessica Pegula is valued at 8/1. Interestingly, this makes her one of the favourites to win the title; as only two players are priced ahead of her. That said, how has the World number 3 fared so far in this tournament?

Previous Rounds – Jessica Pegula Indian Wells 2023

Being one of the top ranked players, Jessica Pegula was seeded ahead of this competition, and did not feature in the first round. In the second round, she faced Camila Giorgi, a player she had beaten in four of five encounters. Interestingly, Pegula had a slow start to her first round match, surrendering the first set to her Italian opponent. However, she found her stride in the second set, and never looked back since then; winning the next two sets whilst dropping just three games.

In the third round, Jessica Pegula went up against Anastasia Potapova. Like the previous round, she lost the first set, and had to claw her way back into the match, ultimately winning in three sets.

Upcoming Match vs Petra Kvitova – Jessica Pegula Indian Wells 2023

Jess Pegula Fort Worth

With her victory over Potapova, Jessica Pegula setup a mouthwatering clash with Petra Kvitova. Unlike her previous opponents, the American tends to struggle against Kvitova. In four encounters between these players, Pegula lost three times. While this will be a difficult match for Jessica Pegula, we believe she has what it takes to defeat the former World number 2.

Jessica Pegula’s Form Ahead of Indian Wells 2023

Besides the United Cup, which she helped her country win, Pegula featured in three tournaments prior to this year’s BNP Paribas Open; the Australian Open, Dubai Open and Doha Open. It’s important to point out that the American player reached the quarter-final, semi-final and final of these tournaments respectively. Bearing that in mind, let’s take a look at Pegula’s last five matches before this tournament.

  • Pegula vs Krejcikova – lost (2-1)
  • Pegula vs Muchova – won (w/o)
  • Pegula vs Bogdan – won (2-0)
  • Pegula vs Tomova – won (2-1)
  • Pegula vs Swiatek – lost (2-0)

Jessica Pegula’s Performance At Indian Wells in the Past

Jessica Pegula first reached the main draw of this competition as a qualifier in 2012, where she lost in the first round. She proceeded to get knocked out of the qualifying rounds in her next three attempts. Interestingly, the American has played in this tournament three times since then, exiting in the second round in two of them. Moreover, her best performance at this competition came in 2021, where she reached the quarter-final.

Can Pegula Improve her Historically Poor Performance in Indian Wells?

We’ve established that Jessica Pegula has only gotten past the second round of this tournament once in her career. However, being one of the favourites, the American is expected to at least reach the semi-final of this tournament. How far can she go?

Jessica Pegula Indian Wells 2023 Prediction – Semi-final

Jessica Pegula in match vs Iga

Being in the bottom half of the draw, Jessica Pegula has some interesting match-ups ahead of her. She takes on Petra Kvitova in the fourth round, and the winner of this tie will face either Karolina Pliskova or Maria Sakkari in the quarter-final. Potential semi-final opponents are Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Barbora Krejcikova. All in all, we believe that Jessica Pegula’s Indian Wells campaign will end in the semi-final.


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