Jessica Pegula vs Paula Badosa - Cincinnati Open Tennis Prediction and Pick 8/18/24

Jessica Pegula stretched her winning streak at this year's summer hard-court swing to eight matches after a rollercoaster three-set win over Leylah Fernandez. Pegula was cruising at 7-5, 4-0, but was pegged back by a spirited Fernandez who reeled off five straight games and pinched the second set in a tie-break.

It looked like Pegula's excellent run had run its course, but she had the energy to play her best tennis down the stretch and dominated the third-set tie-break to reach her first semifinal at the Cincinnati Open.

Paula Badosa is another player who has been red-hot since she got to North America. Her decision to avoid the Olympics in favor of an early start to hard courts has been vindicated as the Spaniard will break into the Top 30 of the WTA rankings, which will be sufficient to earn her a seeding spot at this year's US Open.

That was unthinkable just a month ago, but a title win in Washington (her first in two years) and a maiden semifinal run in Cincinnati without the loss of a set has steered Badosa's season and career back on track.

Jessica Pegula vs Paula Badosa Head-To-Head

• Pegula leads Badosa 2-0 in their head-to-head.

• They have played once on hard courts at the 2022 Miami Open, where Pegula won via retirement.

Jessica Pegula vs Paula Badosa Prediction

Although Pegula enters this match as the favorite with the oddsmakers by dint of ranking and a recent good run of form (undefeated in the last eight matches), there is growing belief that she doesn't have a lot of gas in the tank. She's played non-stop tennis for close to two weeks, and that showed in her battling display against Fernandez when she squandered a 7-5, 4-0 lead.

Badosa appears to have turned a corner in her season and career after a stagnant period last year when she sustained a stress fracture on her back. This match could honestly go either way, but if you are riding on the wave of momentum, Pegula takes it. If fatigue continues to be the issue, which I suspect for one of the most durable tennis players, then Badosa is a slight favorite.