Cincinnati 2022: Emma Raducanu vs Jessica Pegula preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick | Western & Southern Open

Match Details

Fixture: (10) Emma Raducanu vs Jessica Pegula

Tournament: Cincinnati Open 2022

Date: August 18, 2022

Round: Third Round (Round of 16)

Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Center, Ohio, United States

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Hard

Prize money: $2,527,250

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - Rogers Sportsnet, TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Emma Raducanu vs Jessica Pegula preview

Emma Raducanu returns a shot to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus during the Western & Southern Open

10th seed Raducanu will take on seventh seed Jessica Pegula in the third round of the Western and Southern Open on Thursday.

The US Open champion has been under a lot of pressure since winning the women's singles title last year. The British No. 1 has struggled to find her form amid injuries and changing in coaching personnel.

However, Raducanu has shown some of her best tennis this week. In the first round of the event, she comfortably got past the 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in straight sets of 6-4, 6-0.

She continued her her form to the second round, where she once again showed no mercy in dispatching two-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azerenka 6-0, 6-2.

Meanwhile, seventh seed Jessica Pegula has had one of her best seasons on the WTA tour this year. She reached the finals of the Canadian Open last week, losing to Simona Halep and winning the doubles title with Coco Gauff. She also reached the final in Madrid earlier this year, losing to Ons Jabeur.

After getting a bye in the opening round, she showed her experience in beating Marta Kostyuk 6-7(5-7) 6-1, 6-2 in the second round of Cincinnati.

Emma Raducanu vs Jessica Pegula head-to-head

This will be the first time that the two players will face each other on the WTA tour. The head-to-head stands at 0-0.

Emma Raducanu vs Jessica Pegula odds

Player Name	Moneyline	Handicap bets	Total Games
Emma Raducanu	+125	+2.5(-115)	3 sets (+140)
Jessica Pegula	-160	-2.5(-115)	2 sets (-200)

(All odds are sourced from betmgm)

Emma Raducanu vs Jessica Pegula preview

Pegula will go into their encounter as a favorite. She has had a much better year so far compared to her opponent. The seventh seed has reached the latter stages of major tournaments regularly this season and has a win loss of 29-15 in 2022.

Raducanu, on the other hand, has struggled with her form throughout and is 13-14 in 2022 with no titles to her name. However, it looks like the Brit is playing her best tennis heading into the match against the home favorite.

Pegula's consistent game from the back and ability to close out the points in the net will give her an advantage over the US Open champion. She will have to ensure that she is able to handle Raducanu's counterattacking style of play and use her variety to her advantage to reach the quarterfinals in Cincinnati.

Pick: Pegula in straight sets.