Top-seeded Jessica Pegula fought her way into her first Credit One Charleston Open final on Saturday, twice recovering from a break down in the third set to secure a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 semi-final victory over ninth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova.
World No. 4 Pegula had previously been stopped at the semi-final stage in Charleston for the past two years, but this time she progressed to the final at the WTA 500 clay court event. In a challenging, windy day, she demonstrated resilience, outlasting 26th-ranked Alexandrova in 2 hours and 20 minutes and leveling their head-to-head record at 2-2.
Pegula will now compete against fellow American Sofia Kenin in the final. Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, advanced after Amanda Anisimova, seeded No. 8 and also American, retired from their semi-final due to a right hip injury. Kenin was leading 5-2 in the first set when Anisimova stopped playing.
Pegula holds a 3-2 lead in her head-to-head record against Kenin. Pegula won their most recent encounter at last year`s US Open second round, on her way to her first Grand Slam singles final, defeating former World No. 4 Kenin.
This marks the first all-American final in Charleston since 1990, when Martina Navratilova defeated Jennifer Capriati.
New Leader in Tour Wins: Jessica Pegula now leads the Hologic WTA Tour in match wins for 2025. Her victory over Alexandrova was her 24th main-draw win of the year, placing her ahead of Aryna Sabalenka with 23 wins.
Pegula showed early dominance on Saturday, going 20 minutes without an unforced error. Reaching a 5-0 lead in the first set, she extended a winning streak to 14 games, starting from the second set of her quarter-final win against defending champion Danielle Collins.
However, the second set was drastically different as Alexandrova`s powerful game intensified. Alexandrova hit 14 winners compared to Pegula`s two in that set, leveling the match at one set each.
In a back-and-forth third set, Pegula twice recovered from being a break down. At 5-5, Pegula placed a backhand in the corner, forcing an error from Alexandrova and creating an opportunity to serve for the match. In the following game, Pegula hit another backhand, this time down the line, converting her second match point.
More updates to follow…
Rupert Caldwell