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Fixture: (3) Jessica Pegula vs (29) Marie Bouzkova
Date: April 30, 2023
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open 2023
Round: Third Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €7,652,174
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Jessica Pegula vs Marie Bouzkova preview
World No. 3 Jessica Pegula will square off against Marie Bouzkova in the third round of the 2023 Madrid Open on Sunday.
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Pegula took on Magdalena Frech in the second round. The American secured an early break of serve for a 2-0 lead. However, she stumbled while trying to close out the set as her opponent managed to break her serve.
Nevertheless, Pegula came out on top in the ensuing tie-break to clinch the set. She raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set, but failed to close out the match on her first attempt. The World No. 3 got it right on the second try to wrap up a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win.
Bouzkova was up against Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round. The former trailed 3-0 in the first set, but bagged six of the next seven games in a quick turnaround to claim the opener.
Bouzkova was on the backfoot in the second set as well, but fought hard and managed to take it to a tie-break. However, Sasnovich edged her out in the tie-break to capture the set.
Bouzkova took a 4-1 lead in the third set, but Sasnovich was right on her tail as she won the next couple of games. The Czech then nabbed the next two games to win the match 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3.
Jessica Pegula vs Marie Bouzkova head-to-head
The two have split their previous couple of meetings on the WTA tour evenly to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Bouzkova won their most recent encounter at the 2022 BNP Paribas Open in three sets.
Jessica Pegula vs Marie Bouzkova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jessica Pegula vs Marie Bouzkova prediction
Bouzkova toughed it out against Sasnovich to score a gritty win over her. Pegula, too, was made to work hard for her success over Frech in the previous round. The American got broken while serving to close out both sets, but managed to prevail in the end.
Bouzkova's season has been quite rough, but played one of her best matches against Sasnovich. She cut down on her errors and served quite well. She will need to maintain the same level against Pegula in the next match.
Both of their previous matches have gone the distance. Bouzkova's crafty and versatile brand of tennis has given Pegula a tough time in the past. However, the American has been more consistent and should be able to rise to the occasion once again to advance further.
Pick: Jessica Pegula to win in three sets.
