Jessica Pegula vs Barbora Krejcikova Odds & Prediction – Dubai Tennis Championships Semifinals
By Stephanie Myles in Tennis
Published:
- No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula is the favorite over unseeded Barbora Krejcikova in their Dubai semifinal Friday
- Their only previous meeting was at the 2023 Australian Open, won by Pegula in straight sets
- Is there upset potential here in the Pegula vs Krejcikova odds? We break down the matchup and make a prediction
Jessica Pegula might have expected to play Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in the Dubai Tennis Championships semifinal. Instead, she gets unseeded Barbora Krejcikova (Friday, not before 10 am ET). We have your Pegula vs Krejcikova prediction here.
Pegula vs Krejcikova Odds
| Player | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| [3] Jessica Pegula (USA) | -2.5 (-130) | -195 | O 21.5 (-120) |
| Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) | +2.5 (+105) | +155 | U 21.5 (-110) |
Krejcikova, who didn’t benefit from a first-round bye, has worked hard to get this far. Notably in the second round, she upset No. 7 Daria Kasatkina 7-5 in the third set. And then she eased past No. 12 seed Petra Kvitova, 6-3, 6-2. She’s is the +155 underdog against Pegula in the Pegula vs Krejcikova odds. Odds as of February 23 at DraftKings.
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But her best effort came in Thursday’s quarterfinal against Sabalenka.
Sabalenka won the first set 6-0. And she was up 3-1 in the second set. And then, it unraveled for the Belarussian just as Krejcikova first hung in – and then went on a run of form that we probably haven’t seen from her since last October at an indoor tournament in Ostrava.
She won it going away – 0-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1 – to advance to her second meeting in a month against Pegula.
Pegula vs Krejcikova Head-to-Head Stats
| 28 (Feb. 23, 1994) | Age | 27 (Dec. 17, 1995) |
| Buffalo, NY | Birthplace | Brno, Czech Republic |
| 5-7 | Height | 5-10 |
| 2 | Career WTA Singles Titles | 5 |
| No. 3 (Oct. 23, 2022) | Career-High Ranking | No. 2 (Feb. 27, 2022) |
| No. 1 | Current Ranking | No. 30 |
| $7,780,467 | Career Prize Money | $9,265,260 |
| 14-3 | 2022 Won/Loss Record | 9-4 |
| 1 | Head-to-Head Wins | 0 |
Pegula Gets a Day Off
As for Pegula, who had a long, long week in Doha last week when she reached the singles final, and won the doubles with countrywoman Coco Gauff, Thursday was a nice break day.
Eliminated Wednesday in the doubles, she didn’t have to take the court at all in singles. Talented Czech Karolina Muchova withdrew before the match with an abdominal injury.
In fact, two of the quarterfinal matches weren’t even played, with Karolina Pliskova pulling out with a viral illness before she was to meet Iga Swiatek.
Pegula vs Krejcikova Match History
| Year | Tournament | Surface | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Australian Open (R16) | Outdoor Hard | 7-5, 6-2 | Pegula |
The match between the two last month, in the fourth round of the Australian Open, was only close for part of the first set.
If Krejcikova is the Grand Slam champion between the two and the more graceful player – better technique on every shot, and more of an all-court player if she needs to be even if Pegula has made great strides towards that end – Pegula has done all the winning over the last nine months.
Krejcikova didn’t play after the Middle East tournaments a year ago. Forced out by a leg injury, she missed the big tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami, Madrid and Rome.
She only returned at the French Open to attempt to defend her title. But she was nowhere close to ready and lost in the first round.
The Czech had a nice run to finish the season, winning indoor events in Estonia (where she beat home-country favorite Anett Kontaveit in the final) and in the Czech Republic (where, as the home-country favorite but with plenty of Polish fans making the trip), she defeated Swiatek in the final.
Without those runs, she would be barely hanging on in the top 100. As it is, her current ranking of No. 30 is the lowest she has been since before that French Open title in 2021.
But she’s a quality player who has the level. And she has showed that all week in Dubai.
Pegula vs Krejcikova Prediction
You’d expect this match to be a lot closer than their clash in Melbourne a month ago, in part because Krejcikova has found form. Also, Pegula has played a lot of tennis.
And, on paper, these are two consistent ball strikers who both attack the task with experience, calm and maturity.
It should well go the distance for our Pegula vs Krejcikova picks.
Pegula vs Krejcikova Picks: Over 2.5 Sets (+125)
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Sports Writer
Stephanie gets the straight dope from the tennis insiders. On court, she has represented her country internationally. A BA in journalism led to years on the MLB beat and a decade covering tennis globally. She's written for Postmedia, the Guardian, the New York Times and also publishes OpenCourt.ca.
