Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Jessica Pegula vs. Leylah Fernandez Head-to-Head, Prediction, and Betting Odds for WTA Citi DC Open 2025 Round of 16

Pegula Opens Campaign Against Fernandez in Second Round of Citi DC Open.

Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Top seed Jessica Pegula begins her Citi DC Open 2025 campaign today against Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in the second round. Pegula received a first-round bye, while Fernandez came through with a composed straight-sets win over Maya Joint. With a quarterfinal spot on the line, the winner will take on either sixth seed Sofia Kenin or American qualifier Taylor Townsend.

🏆Austin (hard)
🏆Charleston (clay)
🏆Bad Homburg (grass)

Jessica Pegula is the only player who has been able to win WTA Tour titles on all three surfaces this year so far pic.twitter.com/8aVcU12SHn
— Mario Boccardi (@boccardi_marioo) June 28, 2025

Pegula’s season has been impressive on paper, but not without gaps in consistency. She’s already secured three titles in Austin, Charleston, and Bad Homburg and reached finals in Adelaide and Miami. Still, her Grand Slam results have left much to be desired, with surprising early exits at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Statistically, she’s been solid across 48 matches, firing 117 aces, winning 67.7% of first-serve points, and converting nearly 44% of her break opportunities.

Fernandez, meanwhile, is looking to turn around a stop-start season. Her 2023 Hong Kong title remains her most recent triumph, and aside from a quarterfinal run in Abu Dhabi and Nottingham, she’s struggled to build momentum. With a first-serve win rate of 65% and decent return numbers, the Canadian will need to raise her level significantly to pull off an upset.

GAME SET AND MATCH FERNANDEZ!

🇨🇦Leylah Fernandez defeats 🇦🇺Maya Joint 63 63 and is into the 2nd round in Washington!

Really liked Fernandez's serving today, played a great solid match.

Setting up a huge showdown with #1 seed 🇺🇸(1)Jessica Pegula in RD2. #MubadalaCitiOpen pic.twitter.com/ayiXefhTkB
— Jacob Pacheco (@JacobPacheco6) July 21, 2025

Jessica Pegula vs. Leylah Fernandez Head-to-Head Record

Jessica Pegula leads Leylah Fernandez 2-0 in their head-to-head, with both meetings coming last season. The American first got the better of Fernandez in straight sets at the Miami Open, then followed it up with a tighter three-set win in Cincinnati.

Year	Event	Round	Winner	Score
2024	Cincinnati	Quarterfinals	Jessica Pegula	7-5, 6-7(1), 7-6
2024	Miami	Round of 32	Jessica Pegula	7-5, 6-4

Jessica Pegula vs. Leylah Fernandez Comparison

Jessica Pegula	Category	Leylah Fernandez
4	Current Ranking	36
469-261	Career W-L	213-145
35-13	YTD W-L	16-17
9	Career Titles	3
0	Grand Slams	0
3	YTD Titles	0

Jessica Pegula vs. Leylah Fernandez Prediction

Pegula’s sharp baseline control and recent title runs give her a clear edge, but if Fernandez finds rhythm early and disrupts Pegula’s timing, she has the tools to stretch this. Still, the American’s form makes her the likely pick.

No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula hitting those well timed flat backhand returns off the 2nd serve of Danielle Collins in practice at the @mubadalacitidc

Well placed in the corner.

Eye-test wise and hearing players in press – all saying courts are playing quick here. pic.twitter.com/rT6o6j1Jhp
— TennisONE App (@TennisONEApp) July 21, 2025

Prediction: Jessica Pegula in straight sets

Jessica Pegula vs. Leylah Fernandez WTA Citi DC Open 2025 Betting Odds

Pegula enters as the clear favorite at 2/5, with odds implying a 71% win probability. Fernandez, at 19/10, is a sizable underdog, but not out of the conversation.

Here are the betting odds according to BetMGM:

Jessica Pegula: 2/5

Leylah Fernandez: 19/10

Here are the odds for total games as well as total sets for both players (sourced via BetMGM):

Total Games Over 21.5: 22/25

Total Games Under 21.5: 22/25

Total Games won by Pegula Over 12.5: 19/20

Total Games won by Fernandez Over 11.5: 10/11

Total Sets Over 2.5: 29/20

Total Sets Under 2.5: 13/25

(According to BetMGM: BetMGM offers exclusive promo codes, bonus deals and accurate odds for users upon signing up. Use BetMGM to ace your betting game in all sports!)

Mandatory Image Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Citi DC Open 2025

Jessica Pegula

Leylah Fernandez

Rudra Dubey

nfl

mma

I’m an academic turned sports writer from Raipur, India, specializing in the NFL, MMA, and tennis at The Playoffs. I previously wrote for Sportskeeda and hold a B.A. and M.A. in History. My journey into sports media began far from the field, rooted in the arts and sciences. Funny enough, I didn’t grow up a sports fan; I used to see it all as just noise. But a fateful writing job introduced me to the world of sports, and what began as a gig quickly became a passion. I understood those voices aren’t noise; they’re emotions of true sports fans, and now I am one of them, writing with the same energy I once questioned.