Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Doha match.
Pegula remains one of the favourites for the Doha title, especially after Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff's early elimination. She consistently reaches the latter stages of big tournaments and has previously played in the semi-finals (2021) and final (2023) in Doha. Ekaterina Alexandrova, on the other hand, rarely makes it this far, but she is currently in her best form in years and has a strong chance to challenge Jessica Pegula.
Ekaterina Alexandrova
Alexandrova won the Linz title and is currently on a seven-match winning streak. In the previous round, she comfortably defeated Elise Mertens (6:4, 6:2), winning 71% of points on both first and second serves. Alexandrova has previously beaten Pegula on hard courts, securing a three-set victory (3:6, 6:4, 6:4). Additionally, she has taken at least one set in five of her last seven matches against top-10 players. Her recent hard-court matches have seen over 21 games played in five of her last seven encounters.
Jessica Pegula
Pegula has been dominant in Doha, winning 13 of her last 16 matches at the tournament and reaching two semi-finals in the last three years. As the world No.5, she has an impressive record in Masters 1000 quarter-finals, winning 8 of 10 on hard courts. However, in her recent matches against Elina Svitolina (6:3, 7:6) and Daria Kasatkina (6:3, 7:5), Pegula had moments where she could have dropped a set, but fortune was on her side. Additionally, five of her last nine matches have gone over 20 games.
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Jessica Pegula Prediction
Alexandrova is in outstanding form and has previously defeated Pegula. The Russian is comfortable in aggressive rallies and capable of putting up a fight. However, Pegula remains the favourite, making the over 19.5 total games a safer bet.
