Top-seeded Jessica Pegula fought her way into the Credit One Charleston Open final on Saturday. In a challenging semifinal match, she twice recovered from a break down in the third set to secure a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 victory against No. 9 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
World No. 4 Pegula had previously reached the Charleston semifinals in the past two years but this time progressed further at the WTA 500 clay-court event. In windy conditions, she demonstrated resilience to overcome 26th-ranked Alexandrova in a match lasting 2 hours and 20 minutes, evening their head-to-head record at 2-2.
Pegula is now set to compete against fellow American Sofia Kenin in the final. Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, advanced after another American, No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova, retired from their semifinal 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, defeating former World No. 4 Kenin on her path to her first Grand Slam singles final.
This final marks the first all-American final in Charleston since Martina Navratilova defeated Jennifer Capriati in 1990.
New tour win leader: Jessica Pegula now leads the Hologic WTA Tour in match wins for 2025. Her victory over Alexandrova marked her 24th WTA main-draw win of the year, surpassing Aryna Sabalenka`s 23.
Pegula started strong on Saturday, playing for 20 minutes without an unforced error. Reaching a 5-0 lead in the first set extended her winning streak to 14 games, which began in the second set of her quarterfinal win against defending champion Danielle Collins.
However, the second set saw a shift as Alexandrova`s powerful game came into effect. 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`s backhand into the corner forced an error from Alexandrova, giving Pegula the chance to serve for the match. In the following game, Pegula secured victory by hitting another backhand down the line, converting her second match point.
More updates to follow…
