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After taming World No. 128 Francesca Di Lorenzo in the previous round, CiCi Bellis will look to do something similar when she takes on World No. 81 Jessica Pegula in the second round of the Top Seed Open 2020.
Bellis is a former top 40 player, but currently down at No. 302 due to a variety of injuries over the last couple of years. But the 21-year-old was in excellent touch before the COVID-19 break, having made it to the third round of the Australian Open and defeating the 22nd-ranked Karolina Muchova along the way.
During her 6-1, 6-2 win over Di Lorenzo, CiCi Bellis won 71.8% of the points on her first serve and saved as many as seven break points. It took her only an hour and a minute to send her higher-ranked compatriot packing from Lexington.
Although Bellis is in good form, she is unlikely to find the going easy against Jessica Pegula in the second round. Pegula has a win-loss record of 9-5 in 2020, and she disposed of former World No. 9 Vera Zvonareva in the opening round.
The 35-year-old Russian tested her skills in the three-set match, but the American prevailed with a score of 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. That said, Pegula could only win 43.6% points on her second serve against Zvonareva, and she will look to improve on that in the upcoming match.
CiCi Bellis vs Jessica Pegula head-to-head
The two American players have clashed with each other just once before - at the ASB Classic tournament earlier this year. Jessica Pegula eventually made it to the final of that event, after starting her campaign with a 6-0, 6-4 thrashing of CiCi Bellis.
Pegula will carry plenty of confidence from that dominant win into Lexington. But looking at how the two players performed in their respective first-round matches, Bellis would fancy her chances of avenging the loss she suffered in New Zealand.
Bellis' biggest asset is arguably her court sense. She has worked hard on upping her groundstroke power in recent times, and as an all-court player she likes to attack the net.
On the other hand, Pegula scores a majority of her points with the forehand. Her first serve is also a strong suit, but her second serve can sometimes be exploited.
CiCi Bellis vs Jessica Pegula prediction
Jessica Pegula took more time than expected to defeat Vera Zvonareva in the first round, but she had performed brilliantly in the World TeamTennis tournament a few weeks ago. Pegula had a win-loss record of 9-1 in that competition.
CiCi Bellis could give her a run for her money, but the odds are in favor of Pegula reaching the quarterfinals of the Top Seed Open.
Prediction: Jessica Pegula to win in three sets.
Match details
Tournament: Top Seed Open 2020
Venue: Lexington, USA
Category: WTA International
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $225,500
Match timing: 2 pm EDT, 11.30 pm IST
