The Indian Wells Open is on to the quarterfinals. One of the biggest matches of the day sees World No. 3 Elena Rybakina take on World No. 5 Jessica Pegula. The match begins at 8:00. p.m. ET.
Rybakina is -185 on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Pegula is +151. This is my best bet to target for the Pegula vs. Rybakina match.
Jessica Pegula vs. Elena Rybakina Preview
Elena Rybakina has been the best women’s tennis player in the world this year. She still ranks No. 3 behind Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, but Rybakina has been the woman to beat dating back to the end of last year. Rybakina won the year-end WTA Finals, defeating Sabalenka in that final. She then won her second career major title at the 2026 Australian Open, also defeating Sabalenka in that final. Rybakina has won the last two significant tournaments and is hoping to make it three in a row at Indian Wells. She is a former champion here, having won the title back in 2023. Rybakina has been playing fantastic tennis the past few months and will be tough for anyone to beat here at Indian Wells.
Jessica Pegula is also playing some of the best tennis of her career as of late. Since the retirement of Serena Williams, women’s tennis has really been a young woman’s game. There have been multiple eras of young players who have emerged and made their mark on the sport. However, Pegula has broken that mold by playing her best tennis at 32 years old. Pegula has made two consecutive Grand Slam semifinals, at the 2025 US Open and 2026 Australian Open. Pegula then won her fourth career WTA 1000 title in Dubai, leading up to this tournament. Indian Wells has never been Pegula’s best venue. This trip to the quarterfinals matches her best-ever finish in this tournament. Pegula last made the quarterfinals back in 2021, and is now looking to make the Indian Wells semifinals for the first time ever.
Jessica Pegula vs. Elena Rybakina Pick, Best Bet
My best bet for this match is on Elena Rybakina’s Moneyline. Rybakina is playing fantastic tennis, dating back to last year’s WTA Finals. This is a venue where she knows she can win it all, having done so in 2023. Rybakina will also have a lot of confidence going up against Jessica Pegula. These two have faced off four times since the beginning of 2023. Rybakina has won three of those four meetings, including each of the last two.
Elena Rybakina defeated Pegula in the semifinals of the 2025 WTA Finals and in the semifinals at the 2026 Australian Open. Those are two massive occasions where these two women faced off in the last five months, and Rybakina got the better of Pegula both times. Rybakina has proven the ability to hit a higher ceiling in comparison to Pegula, both at Indian Wells in past years and in general over the past few months. She should take down Pegula for the third straight time and advance to the semifinals.
