WTA - WTA Cincinnati Open
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by Lou Aguila | in Tennis Picks
Loser of three in her last four games, Jessica Pegula of the United States looks to exorcise her demons as she goes for a winning start at the 2025 Cincinnati Open against Kimberly Birrell of Australia on Sunday.
Pegula, who reached the final of last year’s women’s singles tournament in Cincinnati, is going through a rocky stretch as she lost three of her last four matches on the tour, including two opening matches against Elisabetta Cocciaretto 2-6, 2-6 at the 2025 Wimbledon Open and Leylah Annie Fernandez 3-6, 6-1, 5-7 in the first round of the 2025 Washington Open. What’s worse is that her erratic play continued at one of her favorite tournaments in Montreal. After pulling off a hard-earned two-set win over Maria Sakkari 7-5 6-4, Pegula bombed out of the tournament in the next round, losing to 35-year-old Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 4-6, 1-6.
Birrell powered past Anna Blinkova 6-2 6-1 to advance into the second round at Cincinnati, snapping a four-match losing skid. Birrell only connected 45 percent of her first serves, but still dealt enough damage by winning 84 percent of her first serves and breaking Blinkova’s serves seven times. The victory guaranteed Birrell her best finish at a WTA 1000-level event this year after also making in the second round of the Sunshine Doubles earlier this year.
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Kimberly Birrell vs Jessica Pegula Form
Kimberly Birrell and Jessica Pegula Latest Matches
2/6 (33%)
4/6 (67%)
Aug 8, 2025 - WTA Cincinnati Open
Jul 27, 2025 - WTA National Bank Open
Jul 19, 2025 - WTA Washington Citi Open
Jun 30, 2025 - WTA Wimbledon Championships
Jun 25, 2025 - WTA Eastbourne International
Jun 24, 2025 - WTA Eastbourne International
3/6 (50%)
3/6 (50%)
Aug 1, 2025 - WTA National Bank Open
Jul 30, 2025 - WTA National Bank Open
Jul 24, 2025 - WTA Washington Citi Open
Jul 1, 2025 - WTA Wimbledon Championships
Jun 28, 2025 - WTA Bad Homburg Open
Jun 27, 2025 - WTA Bad Homburg Open
Kimberly Birrell - Jessica Pegula Key Points
- Jessica Pegula is 1-3 in her last four matches.
- Jessica Pegula is the 2024 Cincinnati Open runner-up.
- Kimberly Birrell defeated Anna Blinkova 6-2, 6-1 in the first round of the 2025 Cincinnati Open.
- Kimberly Birrell is 19-7 on the hard court this year.
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Our Kimberly Birrell vs Jessica Pegula Prediction
Fearless Forecast: Jessica Pegula shakes off her slump to post a dominant win over Kimberly Birrell.
This is not the first time Pegula has gone through a period of futility. Pegula has experienced it all in over a decade of playing on the WTA Tour. She has had extreme highs and extreme lows throughout her career, and yet she’s still very much here, ranked No.4 in the world, vying for another shot at the Cincinnati Open glory.
In her upcoming match against Birrell, I expect Pegula to play with some sense of urgency, knowing the immense impact of a loss on her US Open buildup. Birrell isn’t a pushover, but she’s also not the kind of player who can threaten Pegula, even in her current state.
Barring another crazy mental meltdown, Pegula should comfortably win this one in straight sets, by at least five games.
Our betting prediction for Kimberly Birrell vs. Jessica Pegula: Jessica Pegula -5.5 Games.
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All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
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