Pegula to power ahead at the Charleston Open?

‍Jessica Pegula vs. Irina-Camelia Begu 9:30 p.m. ET Tennis Channel, TVA Sports

World No. 37 Irina-Camelia Begu will take on number one seed Jessica Pegula in the third round of the Charleston Open this evening.

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Pegula kicked off her run in Charleston with a second round matchup against Anna Blinkova of Russia on Wednesday. The Current World No. 3 wasted no time blowing Blinkova off the court, with a commanding 6-2, 6-0 win.

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Pegula arrives at the South Carolina tournament on the back of a super successful Miami Open. The 29 old won the Doubles title alongside compatriot Coco Gauff, and made it all the way to the Singles final, where she was eventually beaten by Wimbledon Champion Elena Rybakina.

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15th seed Irina-Camelia Begu recorded back-to-back straight set wins en route to this evenings round of 16 matchup, and the Romanian has a strong serve which is very well suited to the clay surface in Charleston.

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The two have faced-off twice before, with the head-to-head record currently tied at 1-1. Pegula came out on top in their most recent meeting, taking the match in three sets at the French Open last year.

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Pegula has been in dynamite form so far at the Credit One Charleston Open and we’re backing her to win in straight sets this evening.

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The Programme Pick: Jessica Pegula in straight sets (-118)

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Michelle Waterson vs. Luana Pinheiro Saturday at 9 p.m. ET ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass

Michelle Waterson will step back into the octagon on Saturday night when she faces Luana Pinheiro at UFC 287 at the Miami-Dade Arena.

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The Strawweight clash will be contested over 3 rounds, as Waterson looks to bounce back from a submission loss to Amanda Lemos in July last year.

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The 37 year old has a 18-10 UFC record but has chalked up only one win in her last four fights stretching all the way back to 2020.

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And she’ll have her work cut out against Brazilian Luana Pinheiro who’s on an eight fight winning streak and a 20% knock out percentage.

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29-year-old Pinheiro has 10 wins, 1 loss and 0 draws to her name, with 5 of those victories by submission.

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Waterson is the more experienced professional fighter, but we’re backing Pinheiro Miami on Saturday night.

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The Programme Pick: Luana Pinheiro (-167)

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IIHF Women’s World Championship

The 2023 IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championship is officially underway and there’s tons of action to look forward to over the weekend. 

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Team Canada matchups:

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Czechia vs. Canada - Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on TSN4 and TSN5

Japan vs. Canada - Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on TSN4

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For the full schedule of this weekend’s games take a look at the TV Guide below!

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TV Guide

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