WTA Washington Predictions Including Pegula vs Shnaider

The semifinals are set at the heart of the nation’s capital for a scintillating Saturday at the WTA Mubadala DC Open. Top seed and 2019 champion Jessica Pegula leads the charge, but the remaining players are also capable of lifting the trophy at WTA Washington. As always, we at LWOT will offer predictions for both matches, but which players will advance to the final?

WTA Washington Semifinal Predictions

Naomi Osaka vs Alexandra Eala

Head-to-Head: first meeting

#3 seed Naomi Osaka produced a classic comeback in the WTA Washington quarterfinals, recovering from a set down to defeat Elisabetta Cocciaretto in just over two hours. Her tennis was not great for most of this match, but winning many matches this season has given her the confidence to prevail despite not being at her best. She is in her first DC Open semifinal, and if her power game clicks, she will be extremely hard to beat.

Alexandra Eala has been the story of the tournament’s lower half. After taking out Qinwen Zheng and defending champion Leylah Fernandez, she upset #2 seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals. Eala is playing with so much confidence and looks relaxed on the court. Her lefty game, speed, and fearlessness have made her a nightmare matchup. Osaka will look to dominate the points with first-strike tennis, but I think Eala’s movement and anticipation will frustrate the four-time Major champion.

Prediction: Eala in 3

Jessica Pegula vs Diana Shnaider

Head-to-Head: Pegula 3-0 Shnaider

Jessica Pegula took some time to get going in her opening match at WTA Washington against Magdalena Frech, but she was much more solid against a more dangerous opponent in the quarterfinals. Pegula was broken just once against Anna Kalinskaya and won 80% of her first-serve points. The top seed is the favourite to win the title, and her tennis is going in the right direction for that to happen.

#4 seed Diana Shnaider avenged her Wimbledon loss to Liudmila Samsonova by defeating her in straight sets in the quarterfinal. Samsonova made a lot of unforced errors in this match, and Shnaider did a fine job of capitalising on it by remaining solid on her end. Shnaider has never defeated Pegula, but she did win a set when they played earlier this season, which must boost her confidence. However, that was on clay, Pegula’s weakest surface, and here I don’t think Shnaider has much of a chance.

Prediction: Pegula in 2

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