By Ros Satar
- Harriet Dart Rebeka Masarova 6-1 6-4
- Dart v Jessica Pegula [8] | First Meeting
LONDON, UK – Harriet Dart continues her great grass court season with a rain delayed first round win over Rebeka Masarova and faces Jessica Pegula next.
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Harriet Dart def. Rebeka Masarova 6-1 6-4
Having reached two quarter-finals in the grass court season, Harriet Dart was very much the favourite to win this first round encounter and given that Rebeka Masarova had just lost one match on grass in her career, it showed as Dart jumped out to a 4-0 lead and kept Masarova largely pegged back.
It looked as though the second set was going to be as one-sided with a similar lead, but suddenly Masarova clicked with her grass game, getting both breaks back to bring the match back on serve. It took Dart five match points to get over the line.
“I definitely felt a bit nervous prior to the match. Also to kind of close it out. I was just really pleased with how I handled it and to be able to get through.”
Harriet Dart v Jessica Pegula [8] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Dart v Jessica Pegula [8] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon | London, UK |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £78,000 |
| Third on Court No. 2, not before 2:30pm BST | BBC Sport |
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)
| H2H: | Harriet Dart (WR 94) | Jessica Pegula (WR 9) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R3 (2019) | R2 (2021) |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won % | 38 | 38.6 |
| Return Points Won % | 44.4 | 50 |
| Break Point Conversion % | 47.3 | 66.7 |
| Break Points Saved % | 50 | 25 |
| Total Points Won % | 51.1 | 55.2 |
Jessica Pegula has just one grass court match to her name this season, as she advanced to the second round of Wimbledon while Dart has had a lot of tennis over this month. But the Brit has proved to be a lot more clutch in saving break points but far less effective at taking her chances.
Playing Styles & Prediction
Dart’s precision, depth and pace will need to match up with Pegula’s game as she tries to nullify Dart with flat groundstrokes, generally good off both wings. However, we can expect a lot of trading of thumping balls from the back of the court. Pegula will come to the net so Dart can expect to get a fair bit of running in.
“I’m very excited for the match, to see where my level is at. She’s one of the best players in the world at the moment. She’s been doing really well. I expect a really tough match.”
Pegula has picked up some solid results over the last couple of years, and that experience is key, so Dart will have to work hard if she wants to reach the third round again.
Prediction: Pegula in three sets.
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