With two WTA titles already under her belt this season, World No.4 Jessica Pegula has shown a lot of consistency lately. While her last stint in Madrid didn’t yield expected results, she will look to go past that in order to concentrate on this week’s campaign in Rome. Ahead of the big clay challenge in Paris, the American would like to prepare in the best way possible. However, she will have to kick off her Italian Open campaign on a winning note when she steps on the court against compatriot Ashlyn Krueger on Thursday. So who’s going to make it through the first round hurdle? Let’s try to find out!
Jessica Pegula v Ashlyn Krueger: Preview
Jessica Pegula’s 2025 season has been highly impressive so far. Back in January, she made it to the summit clash of the Adelaide International before losing to compatriot Madison Keys. Down under, however, she failed to move beyond third round after losing to Serbia’s Olga Danilovic in straight sets. At the Qatar Open, she fought well and entered the last eight but eventually lost against Ekaterina Alexandrova. In Dubai, she couldn’t do much as Czechia’s Linda Noskova ousted her in straight sets in R16.
However, Pegula then regained her form at the ATX Open in Austin. She succeeded in entering the final where she beat compatriot McCartney Kessler with a score line of 7-5, 6-2 to win her maiden WTA trophy of 2025. In the next campaign at the Indian Wells, Pegula failed to move past the fourth round after her defeat against Elina Svitolina.
But she bounced back soon and reached the summit clash of the Miami Open where World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka beat her. Still, the American continued to show her consistency and clinched her second trophy of 2025 in the next event at the Charleston Open. In the final, she outperformed compatriot Sofia Kennin in straight sets. At the Stuttgart Open, Pegula managed to reach the QF stage before losing to Ekaterina Alexandrova. However, her last event in Madrid didn’t go well as she faced an early exit against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in R32.
Aug 9, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, USA; Jessica Pegula (USA) serves against Ashlyn Krueger (USA, not shown) in third round play at Sobeys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking of her opponent, Ashlyn Krueger’s 2025 season has been decent if not impressive. Back in January, she managed to reach the last eight of the Brisbane International before losing to Russia’s Polina Kudermetova. She performed similarly at the Adelaide International too. However, she failed to do much at the Australian Open. Local star Ajla Tomljanović ousted her in the first round itself.
But Krueger bounced back soon in the next event. At the Abu Dhabi Open, she succeeded in reaching the final before losing to Swiss pro Belinda Bencic. The latter won the trophy with a score line of 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. In her next two campaigns, at the Qatar Open and Indian Wells, she failed to go past the R64. Same was the case with her next three tournaments. At the Miami Open, Charleston Open, and Madrid Open, she crashed out in R16, R16, and R128 respectively. Coming into the Italian Open, this week, she kicked off her journey with a hard-earned win over Hungary’s Anna Bondár. After losing the first set, Krueger came back strongly and eventually advanced into R64 with a final score line of 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Pegula v Krueger: Head-to-Head
Both players have met on four occasions so far. Currently, Pegula has a clean record against Krueger while leading the h2h tally 4-0. Last time when they faced each other, it was during the QF stage of the Adelaide International this season. Pegula eventually emerged victorious as Krueger was forced to retire after first set due to an injury.
2025 Adelaide International QF: Pegula 6-4, 2-0 (Krueger retired)
2024 National Bank Open Third Round: Pegula 6-2, 6-4
2024 Wimbledon R128: Pegula 6-2, 6-0
2023 Hana Bank Korea Open Second Round: Pegula 6-3, 6-1
Prediction: Jessica Pegula to win in straight sets
Jessica Pegula has got a dominating lead over Ashlyn Krueger in terms of singles stats this season. With a solid win percentage of 77.14, the World No.4 has won 27 of her 35 encounters so far. On the other hand, her compatriot has won 15 out of her 26 matches.
But what about their event history? Pegula earned her best campaign in Rome back in 2021, when she reached the QF stage before losing against Croatia’s Petra Martic. However, in last two appearances (2022 and 2023), she failed to go past R16 and R64 respectively. When it comes to Krueger, she played her only Italian Open last season. It didn’t go well as she crashed out in the first round itself after losing to Poland’s Magdalena Fręch.
Coming onto their playing styles, Pegula’s known for her solid tactical approach. She’s got impactful groundstrokes but is also capable in covering the court smoothly between the baseline and the net. Not to mention her powerful, down-the-line backhand that she utilizes to dictate rallies. But what about Krueger? Well, the 21-year-old possesses a powerful serve alongside effective groundstrokes. She’s also got a dominating forehand and a great ability to hit deep, flat shots with ease.
Taking the overall form this season and their h2h stats into account, Jessica Pegula appears to be the favorite. She’s expected to maintain her dominating record against Krueger on Thursday with a straight-set win.
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