WTA Indian Wells: Pegula vs Kvitova Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 WTA Indian Wells tournament as Jessica Pegula takes on Petra Kvitova in the fourth round on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

Will Petra Kvitova extend her dominance over Jessica Pegula? Or will the top-ranked American reach her second quarterfinal at Indian Wells? This should be a gripping match with plenty of entertainment on offer. So who will prevail?

Jessica Pegula vs. Petra Kvitova Match Preview

For the second match in a row, Jessica Pegula recovered from a set deficit to win in three sets. Pegula was given an almighty scare by Russian power hitter Anastasia Potapova who took the first set, and briefly threatened the upset when she went a break up in the decider. Pegula, however, found a way to win, by adding depth to her shots against a barrage of winners from Potapova’s racket. She sets a meeting against Petra Kvitova in the fourth round at Indian Wells, a player she has a losing record against in four previous matches.

Petra Kvitova, meanwhile, won the most bizarre WTA match of the season, beating Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 0-6 6-0 6-4. It was the Czech’s 10th win of the season and advanced to the fourth round in Indian Wells for the fourth time. Kvitova has not won this tournament, with two quarterfinal showings in the past proving to be her benchmark.

Jessica Pegula vs. Petra Kvitova Prediction and Pick

Petra Kvitova leads Jessica Pegula 3-1 in their head-to-head, winning their only clash this year at the United Cup in straight sets. Both players have lost four matches this year, but Pegula has fared a lot better than the Czech, with 15 match wins under her belt and reaching a WTA final in Doha. Pegula’s serve is an area Kvitova can fully exploit with her blistering returns. The American has been broken eight times in two matches – clearly a stat that will be a headscratcher coming into the match. But it’s not like Kvitova has been holding for fun. So Pegula might look to even things out by going after Kvitova’s second serve. And with these conditions favoring the counterpunching Pegula, Kvitova could have her work cut out.