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Fixture: (3) Jessica Pegula vs (Q) Magdalena Frech
Date: April 28, 2023
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open 2023
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
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 Magdalena Frech preview
World No. 3 Jessica Pegula will square off against qualifier Magdalena Frech in the second round of the 2023 Madrid Open on Friday.
Pegula won four of her five singles ties in the inaugural edition of the United Cup to lead the Americans to victory. She then made it to the last eight of the Australian Open for the third year in a row.
Pegula reached the final of the Qatar Open, but lost to Iga Swiatek in straight sets. She followed it up with a semifinal showing at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The American bowed out of the BNP Paribas Open in the fourth round, but performed better in Miami by making the final four.
Pegula commenced her clay swing at the Charleston Open. She defeated Anna Blinkova, Irina-Camelia Begu and Paula Badosa before losing to Belinda Bencic in the semifinals.
As the third seed in Madrid, she received a first-round bye.
Frech, meanwhile, scored wins over Olga Danilovic and Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov to qualify for the main draw here. She then faced Jasmine Paolini in the first round. The Pole fell behind 2-1 in the opener, but reeled off the next five games to clinch the set.
The second set played out in a similar manner. Paolini jumped to a 3-1 lead, but Frech staged another comeback by bagging the next five games to win the match 6-2, 6-3.
Jessica Pegula vs Magdalena Frech head-to-head
Pegula leads Frech 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Chicago Fall Tennis Classic in straight sets.
Jessica Pegula vs Magdalena Frech odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jessica Pegula vs Magdalena Frech prediction
Frech's fighting spirit was on full display as she recovered from an early deficit in both sets to oust Paolini in the previous round. She'll need to maintain a similar attitude against Pegula in the next round.
The American is one of the most consistent players on the tour at the moment. Early losses have become a rarity for her. With a well-rounded game that leans more towards the defensive side, Pegula is able to grind out her opponents to come out on top.
The World No. 3 is a capable returner as well, having won 46% of return games so far this season. A runner-up in Madrid last year, Pegula has shown that she's able to overcome challenging conditions at the venue.
Frech hasn't won consecutive matches at the main draw level this season. It's tough to see her scoring an upset win over Pegula, considering their current form.
Pick: Jessica Pegula to win in straight sets.
