Jessica Pegula vs. Aryna Sabalenka: Picks, Predictions and Odds

There is a fitting finale to this year's Women's US Open final as arguably the two best hard-court players in women's tennis, Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka, will lock horns at Flushing Meadows.

The pair came into the season's final Grand Slam in terrific form, having squared up in the final of the WTA Cincinnati just last month.

Sabalenka earned the victory on that occasion, winning 6-3 7-5, but fans should rule out Pegula in the US Open final at their peril given the American is in her home state of New York and will have the backing of the crowd.

Whoever comes out on top, it is set to be a blockbuster match to conclude what has been a gripping Grand Slam.

Jessica Pegula vs. Aryna Sabalenka betting picks and predictions

Aryna Sabalenka to win 2-1 (+250)

The biggest factor to take into consideration going into this final is experience.

This is unchartered territory for Pegula, who had never previously gone beyond the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, whereas Sabalenka was in this exact position last year.

Indeed, second seed Sabalenka has won 26 of her last 27 matches at the Australian Open and US Open combined and her only loss in that run was in last year's Flushing Meadows final against Coco Gauff.

That defeat will have hurt Sabalenka and she should have learned a thing or two about clashing with a popular American in New York.

Pegula is playing the best tennis of her life, but Sabalenka can simply not be ruled out and deserves favoritism given she has already won two hard-court Grand Slams in her career, both in Melbourne.

She made light work of another talented American in the semifinals, winning 6-3 7-6 against Emma Navarro, whereas Pegula had to fight from a set down to beat unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova.

Experience and recent figures point to a Sabalenka win, but Pegula will not go down without a fight as this is her best shot at Grand Slam glory in her career. 

With all that being factored in, Sabalenka to win in three sets is perhaps the best way to play it.

Over 21.5 games (-120)

Those bettors reluctant to pick a winner in New York might want to consider a bet on Over 21.5 games at -120.

If this match goes to three sets as predicted, there is a high chance that the games line will be surpassed. For example, Sabalenka's semi-final against Navarro produced 22 games and that only involved two sets.

Looking at the recent head-to-head record, Sabalenka's win over Pegula in Cincinnati in August generated 21 games and also featured just two sets.

A three-set contest is likely given how strong both players are on serve and at the baseline and that means over 21.5 games is also an appealing wager.

Jessica Pegula +4.5 games handicap (-138)

Pegula may be appropriately priced and expected to lose this contest but she will surely push Sabalenka close in every set they play, meaning she is worthy of interest to cover her games handicap of +4.5.

Pegula won five games fewer than Sabalenka in Cincy but a Grand Slam open final is a different proposition, especially when the majority of the crowd will be right behind the American.

That anomalous 6-1 defeat by Muchova in the first set of the semifinals was the only set Pegula has dropped in this major and she deserves enormous credit for taking down top seed and former champion Iga Swiatek 6-2 6-4 in the quarter-finals.

Like Sabalenka, Pegula was a player in red-hot form even before this Grand Slam began, having reached the final of the WTA Cincinnati after winning the WTA Toronto title.

To perform so strongly in successive WTA 1000 events before then making the final of a Grand Slam shows tremendous stamina from Pegula, who can make this competitive.

Jessica Pegula vs. Aryna Sabalenka odds

Jessica Pegula	+240
Aryna Sabalenka	-300

Read the latest tennis news on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.