Jessica Pegula vs Maria Sakkari Prediction WTA Adelaide Tennis Picks 1/8/25

Jessica Pegula and Maria Sakkari meet in the second round of the 2025 Adelaide International on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. Here’s our Jessica Pegula vs Maria Sakkari prediction. This preview will also include a Jessica Pegula vs Maria Sakkari pick.

Jessica Pegula Preview

Jessica Pegula is the top seed at the 2025 Adelaide International. It’s her second appearance at this tournament. She was a semifinalist 12 months ago after battling to victories against Bernarda Pera and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Pegula hasn’t played a competitive match since withdrawing before her third group-stage match in November’s WTA Finals in Riyadh.

She was on the entry list for the Brisbane 500 event this past week but withdrew from the tournament because of a persistent knee injury that derailed her WTA Finals campaign.

Pegula has issued an update on the condition citing that she has recovered but needed an extra week at the start of the 2025 season to rest. So, this will be her first tournament of the year and has a bye into the second round.

Pegula won 39 and lost 16 matches in 2024, but fell from a career-high ranking of No. 3 to No. 7.

Maria Sakkari Preview

Maria Sakkari entered the main draw in Adelaide as a lucky loser. The 29-year-old Greek made the most of her second opportunity by knocking out Linda Noskova.

Sakkari won 6-3, 6-3 in an hour and 15 minutes. She hit seven aces and five double faults in the victory.

Sakkari landed 67% of first serves and won 80% of first-serve points (32/40). She won 45% of second-serve points (9/20) and saved all three break points on her serve.

Sakkari won 40% of return points (22/55) and converted three of seven break points. This was her first match win in the main draw. Sakkari had lost both of her singles matches in the United Cup.

Jessica Pegula vs Maria Sakkari Head-To-Head

• Pegula and Sakkari have met 10 times at the WTA level.

• The head-to-head is finely poised, tied at 5 wins apiece.

• Only one of their 10 meetings was contested outside a hard court.

• Pegula has won their last two matches on a hard court in straight sets.

Jessica Pegula vs Maria Sakkari Prediction

Pegula’s first match of the season wouldn’t really be a statoscope of what is to come for the rest of the season. In fact, an interesting statistic concerning Pegula is that she lost her first match of the new year in each of the last four seasons. It’s a strange anomaly for a player of her quality and ability. There is also the knee factor. We don’t know just how she will cope with match play even though she has given reassurance of her fitness. 

The last time Pegula won her first match of a new season, she went on to make the final (Auckland 2020). So, this might actually be a good time to play her if you are Maria Sakkari. Granted her game hasn’t been firing on all cylinders at the start of 2025, the Greek is coming off a morale-boosting victory against Noskova which is absolutely huge for her confidence and fitness (after the shoulder injury). I’m leaning Sakkari here. 

Nur Said's Pick: Maria Sakkari in three sets