Jessica Pegula vs Anastasia Zakharova Betting Tips & Live Stream – Pegula Holds the Edge at Australian Open

Moti Prakash

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Last updated: Sun 18 Jan 2026 12:04

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Moti Prakash 18 Jan 2026

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Jessica Pegula consistently reaches Australian Open quarterfinals
Anastasia Zakharova makes her main draw debut after ranking rise
Pegula expected to handle Zakharova's test efficiently

Expired

Jessica Pegula in action during a practice session ahead of the 2026 Australian Open in Melbourne (credit: Getty)

Stats - Pegula vs Zakharova and the First-Round Trends
HTH
Jessica Pegula Tunes Up Well Ahead of Melbourne
Anastasia Zakharova Capitalizes on Late Opportunity

Pegula holds a clear class edge here and should deal with Zakharova comfortably, with only a few games likely to slip away.

Stats - Pegula vs Zakharova and the First-Round Trends

Jessica Pegula has not lost an Australian Open first round since 2020.
She has just three wins from the last two editions.
Anastasia Zakharova is 3–0 in Grand Slam first rounds.

HTH

This will be their first meeting.

Jessica Pegula Tunes Up Well Ahead of Melbourne

Jessica Pegula steadied her season late in 2025, finishing runner-up in Wuhan and reaching the semifinals of the US Open, Beijing and the WTA Finals. She carried that momentum into the new year, making the Brisbane semifinals.

The American was tested along the way, needing a deciding set or tiebreak to get past Anna Kalinskaya, Dayana Yastremska and Liudmila Samsonova before losing to Marta Kostyuk.

That run should serve her well heading into the Australian Open, where Pegula has been a model of consistency, reaching the quarterfinals in three straight editions from 2021 to 2023.

Category	Details
Nationality	USA
Age	31 (24 February 1994)
Plays	Right-handed
World Ranking	6
Career High	3 (24 October 2022)
Elo Ranking	6 (Rating: 2036)

Anastasia Zakharova Capitalizes on Late Opportunity

Anastasia Zakharova earned a late spot in the main draw after initially missing direct entry and avoiding the qualifying rounds due to withdrawals. The opportunity caps a steady rise over the past year.

The Russian climbed from No. 139 in January to a career-high No. 79 by September, marking a breakthrough season. One of the highlights was her maiden WTA semifinal appearance in Cleveland in August.

Zakharova also made progress at the majors, reaching the second round at Wimbledon and the US Open. However, she was unable to match her 2024 Australian Open run, where she advanced to the third round.

Category	Details
Nationality	Russia
Age	24 (18 January 2002)
Plays	Right-handed
World Ranking	103
Career High	79 (15 September 2025)
Elo Ranking	167 (Rating: 1621)

Verdict

Jessica Pegula v Anastasia Zakharova

There is a clear mismatch in pedigree and reliability here. Pegula’s calm efficiency and proven top-tier consistency should keep the scoreline one-sided, with the American expected to dispatch this test swiftly.

Under 12.5

Total Pegula

@11/23 - 3 Units

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Under 18.5

Total Games

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