It’s no secret that in the past year all the talk in women’s tennis has been about ‘the Big Three’ of Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. This has been for good reason as the trio has been dominating the majority of WTA tournaments in a way that hasn’t been seen in women’s tennis for decades.
With the Washington Open 2023 coming up this week, another name on the WTA Tour is looking to make her mark: Jessica Pegula. The American No. 1 has quietly been waiting in the shadows, preparing herself to pounce in what is her favourite stretch of the year—playing at home and on her best surface. The question is can Pegula capitalize and win the Washington Open 2023 or will the pressure be too much?
We break down all the latest betting odds from bookmaker bet365 and outline the best bets to make on the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2023 this week.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: July 31st, 5:00 A.M. (GMT)
Considering that none of her three biggest rivals are participating in the Washington Open 2023, Jessica Pegula is the heavy favourite to win with odds of 4.33. Behind her, another American sits second in bet365’s odds with Coco Gauff paying 5.50. Maria Sakkari, former world No. 3, is the third favourite at 9.50 before Madison Keys and Daria Kasatkina round out the top five betting favourites on 11.00 and 12.00 respectively.
For Pegula, she comes into the Washington Open 2023 off the back of a nice, long break. Her last match was at Wimbledon 2023 where she exited in the quarterfinals at the hands of Marketa Vondrousova. While the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam is nothing to sneeze at, there’s a concerning pattern in Pegula’s season so far—coming close, but not close enough.
The American has made four quarterfinals, three semifinals and a final in 2023, yet has no titles to show for her efforts. While this pattern may seem like a reason not to bet on Pegula to win, we actually say that it’s done a nice job of driving up her odds to deliver a nice payday should she claim the Washington Open this weekend.
Having some time away from the game will have been crucial for Pegula to reset her mindset. This, plus playing at home and in front of supportive crowds, should be just what the world No. 3 needs to go all the way and lift a trophy this week. Back her to win the Washington Open 2023 at 4.33.
