Veronika Kudermetova vs Jessica Pegula: Japan Open 2023

Veronika Kudermetova has outdone her previous Tokyo performance, reaching the final after an exhausting 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 victory over compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a match lasting three hours and 25 minutes. In the first set, Kudermetova saved five set points, which felt like cosmic justice following her previous year’s third-set tiebreak loss at the Toray Pan Pacific Open. Ranked 19th globally, Kudermetova arrived in Tokyo without consecutive wins since the grass season but turned her fortunes around remarkably. Notably, she defeated world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, in the quarterfinals, her first win against Swiatek in five attempts. Although she has played in six career finals, losing five, her sole title came in 2021 on Charleston’s green clay, where she defeated Danka Kovinic.

Jessica Pegula cruised into her third final of the season, overpowering last week’s Guadalajara champion, Maria Sakkari, in a 6-2, 6-3 victory. Despite a history of losing five out of their previous eight encounters, the second seed saved eight of nine breakpoints to secure the win. This marks Pegula’s inaugural appearance in a non-Olympic WTA event in Japan, where she has not dropped a single set. Her dominant performance solidifies her position for the WTA Finals qualification. Recognized for her hard court prowess, the 29-year-old aims to clinch her first title outside North America and become the first American champion in this event since 2004 when Lindsay Davenport won. With a 3-4 career record in finals, Pegula recently claimed titles in Guadalajara and Montreal, and earlier this season, she reached her first WTA 500 level final but was defeated by Iga Swiatek, 6-3, 6-0.

Match facts

Veronika Kudermetova vs Jessica Pegula	Details
Date	October 1, 2023
Surface	Hard
Tournament	Japan Open
Stage	Final
Time (India)	8:30 am

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Form Guide