Jessica Pegula and Marta Kostyuk square off Saturday in a marquee Brisbane International semifinal. Pegula brings the edge in experience and the matchup history, while Kostyuk has played fearless tennis in Brisbane and will try to flip the script on the outdoor hard courts at Queensland Tennis Centre.
Jessica Pegula vs Marta Kostyuk Match Details
Date: Jan. 10, 2026
Tournament: Brisbane International 2026
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Queensland Tennis Centre, Brisbane, Australia
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, TSN, Sky Sports
Pegula vs Kostyuk Head-to-Head
Pegula has consistently asserted her dominance whenever she has met Kostyuk on tour. The two have met five times, with the American holding a commanding 4–1 head-to-head advantage. Their most recent encounter took place at the 2025 China Open, where Pegula prevailed 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-1, further underscoring her dominance in the rivalry.
Competing as the fourth seed, Pegula hasn’t had it easy so far in Brisbane. She opened her campaign against Anna Kalinskaya in a demanding first-round encounter, claiming the opening set 6-2 before the Russian responded in kind to level the match. Pegula, however, regained control in the decider and won it 6-4 to move deeper into the tournament.
The world No. 6 was then pushed hard by Dayana Yastremska in the second round but fought her way to a 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 victory to reach the quarterfinals. Pegula faced far fewer obstacles against 10th seed Liudmila Samsonova, securing a composed 6-3, 7-6(3) win to book her place in the semifinals.
Kostyuk, meanwhile, has made a strong statement in Brisbane as the 16th seed, putting together an impressive run. The Ukrainian opened her campaign with a hard-fought comeback against Yulia Putintseva, rallying from a first-set loss to win 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-0.
However, the standout moment for her came when she stunned the second seed and world No. 3 Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 6-3 to book her place in the quarterfinals. Kostyuk then continued her run by overcoming former world No. 5 Mirra Andreeva 7-6(7), 6-3, sealing her place in the semifinals.
Pegula vs Kostyuk Prediction
It promises to be a compelling clash, pitting Pegula’s experience against Kostyuk’s recent surge in form. While Pegula sits 20 spots higher in the rankings, the Ukrainian heads into the semifinal brimming with confidence after toppling second seed Anisimova and then another higher-ranked opponent, Andreeva.
It’s also worth noting that Kostyuk holds a slight edge over Pegula on serve in Brisbane, winning 74% of her first-serve points compared to Pegula’s 73%, and 50% of her second-serve points against the American’s 45%. Pegula, however, leads in aces with 15, while Kostyuk has 10, though the American has also committed more double faults, nine to Kostyuk’s five.
The Ukrainian loves to play aggressively and will look to put pressure on her American counterpart from the outset.
However, Pegula knows Kostyuk’s game well and holds a commanding head-to-head advantage. Backed by a higher ranking, superior seeding, and valuable experience against her opponent, Pegula enters the semifinal as the favorite.
Pick: Pegula in three sets.
