Kimberly Birrell vs Jessica Pegula Preview & Prediction | 2026 French Open | First Round
Number five seed Jessica Pegula comes off the back of quarter-final appearance in Rome, whilst
Start date/time:
Venue: Roland Garros Stadium, Paris, France
Surface: Outdoor clay
How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / USA – TNT Sports, TNT & truTV
How to watch online: UK – HBO Max / USA – HBO Max
Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Kimberly Birrell vs Jessica Pegula ticket information
Kimberly Birrell vs Jessica Pegula prediction
In each of her last four appearances at Roland-Garros, USA fans favourite Jessica Pegula has made it to the third round at the bare minimum. Her best finish was the quarter-finals back in 2022 when her run was ended by eventual champion Iga Swiatek, the same player who defeated Pegula recently in the Italian Open quarter-finals.
To reach that stage of a tough clay court tournament was a positive for Pegula and underlines that she is in a position to compete well on the surface. It’s hard to hit balls past her for winners and that makes life even harder for Pegula’s first round opponent Kimberly Birrell. The Australian has never won at the French Open and won just one game in a straight sets defeat to Jaqueline Cristian last year.
It doesn’t get any easier for Birrell this year. Pegula is not the kind of player to take any opponent lightly, even if she is the overwhelming favourite. She’s playing good tennis right now and will be expected to take this one in two sets.
Kimberly Birrell vs Jessica Pegula tip: Jessica Pegula to win 2-0
