Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Doha match.
Daria Kasatkina continues her push for a quarterfinal spot at the WTA 1000 event in Doha, a stage she has reached only once before, back in 2018. She faces Jessica Pegula, a two-time semifinalist in Qatar, who also leads their head-to-head record 2-1.
Daria Kasatkina
Kasatkina has won 8 of her 12 matches in 2025, but her record against American players is concerning—four losses in her last five hard-court matches. She was recently eliminated from the Australian Open and WTA Abu Dhabi by Americans Emma Navarro (No.9) and Ashlyn Krueger (No.40). Now, she faces the world No.5. Kasatkina has struggled in Doha, never progressing beyond the Round of 16 in five previous appearances. Her biggest weakness is her serve—she has hit 51 double faults this season, ranking among the worst in the WTA in that category.
Jessica Pegula
Pegula has started 2025 strongly, winning six of her first eight matches. She enjoys playing in Doha, having won 12 of her last 15 matches at this tournament and reaching the semifinals twice. Pegula relies on an aggressive baseline game and a powerful serve. She has won 68% of points on her first serve in 2025, significantly better than Kasatkina’s 58%. In her opening round, Pegula defeated Elina Svitolina (6:3, 7:6), saving 71% of break points.
Daria Kasatkina vs Jessica Pegula Prediction
Pegula has an excellent record in Doha and has beaten Kasatkina twice before. Their last hard-court meeting in 2023 ended in a dominant win (6:1, 6:0) for Pegula. Given Kasatkina’s serving issues and Pegula’s strong form, we expect another convincing win for the American.
