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By Erik Gudris | Sunday, April 5, 2026Photo credit score: Charleston Tennis LLC
Jessica Pegula saved her greatest for final after a protracted week in Charleston.
The highest-seeded Pegula produced her greatest tennis all week within the Lowcountry as she efficiently defended her WTA 500 title on the Credit score One Charleston Open.
Pegula loved a straight-sets 6-2, 6-2 victory over shock finalist Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine.
Coming into the ultimate, the World No. 5 Pegula performed over 10 hours of tennis in 4 straight three-set matches. But fatigue didn’t appear to be a problem as she raised her degree in Sunday’s last.
However that was nothing new for Pegula, who in final yr’s event additionally performed a number of three-setters en path to profitable the title.
“It was positively a tricky path final yr and this yr,” Pegula advised Tennis Channel after the ultimate. “And I believe generally if you win a event, you type of like romanticize like, oh, it was really easy and it’s normally not. Like there’s normally some days the place it’s actually arduous. And so I believe I shifted my thoughts a little bit bit coming again defending.”
“I believe it’s, it’s actually nice for my clay courtroom season, hopefully, as lengthy as I can type of keep wholesome and maintain adjusting and protecting out in that mindset that on clay generally is a little tough and it will get robust,” Pegula added.
Whereas Pegula, 32, was searching for her eleventh profession title, this was all new territory for the 26-year-old Starodubtseva, who was taking part in in her first-ever profession fundamental tour last.
Starodubtseva, who was set to play qualifying earlier than a last-minute withdrawal allowed her to enter the primary draw, took full benefit of the chance in Charleston. She labored her approach into the ultimate with spectacular outcomes, together with an upset win over No. 5 seed Madison Keys within the semifinals.
What makes her story much more spectacular is that Starodubtseva persevered in tennis earlier than her massive breakthrough. After taking part in faculty tennis at Outdated Dominion, Starodubtseva competed in UTR occasions to construct her rating. She additionally taught tennis at a racquet membership in Westchester, New York, for some time to assist make ends meet. Earlier than this week, she had by no means made it previous the quarterfinals of a WTA occasion.
Expertise proved the decisive issue earlier on as Pegula appeared poised and in acquainted territory whereas her opponent performed tight.
Pegula took benefit and secured the primary service break for 3-2. Together with her trademark flat hitting, Pegula rapidly jumped out to a double break lead for 5-2 as Starodubtseva struggled to maintain up as her unforced errors grew within the set.
Quickly sufficient, Pegula served out the primary set 6-2.
Pegula continued to race by the second set with regular shotmaking. The American quickly discovered herself up 5-0 after solely an hour on courtroom.
The one actual drama of the match occurred within the subsequent recreation, when Pegula served for the title. Seemingly freed up from the strain, and together with her again in opposition to the wall, Starodubtseva began taking part in a lot better.
In an prolonged 12-minute recreation, Starodubtseva fought off three match factors in opposition to her and eventually acquired on the board for 1-5.
Starodubtseva then held for 2-5 and gave the followers hope {that a} comeback, or at the least extra tennis, was on the playing cards.
Pegula would have none of it as she rapidly reset within the subsequent recreation. Pegula quickly discovered herself holding a fourth match level on her serve, which she transformed to the delight of the Charleston crowd.
For her breakthrough week, Starodubtseva will rise to a career-high World No. 53 on Monday.
“I believe possibly not solely this week, however like Miami week as properly, I really feel like I modified up a bit my play fashion and type of like realized what kind of participant I truly am. And I believe I’ll attempt to construct from there on. I positively performed extra aggressive tennis final two weeks, and I believe it’s in my nature, and possibly I haven’t been letting myself do it in earlier weeks, possibly tried to do extra different stuff slightly than simply protecting it easy and be aggressive in sure moments. And I believe this was like the most important lesson within the final two weeks that I had,” Starodubtseva mentioned about her breakthrough week.
Pegula is the primary back-to-back champion in Charleston since Serena Williams in 2013. Together with profitable her second title of the season, together with Dubai, Pegula now leads the WTA with general match wins at 24.
“I imply, it was positively the perfect degree I believe I confirmed as we speak,” Pegula mentioned afterwards. “So I’m joyful that I used to be ready to do this in a last, simply being up a set and 5-0, after which she performed two actually good video games and a little bit longer video games, and I used to be like, okay, I don’t need to get again into this story line of me having to grind out this match. So I used to be actually pleased with the best way I used to be in a position to simply win that final recreation fairly convincingly simply after all of the matches I’ve been by.
“And, yeah, it was positively type of an enormous reduction and simply good realizing that I can go house and loosen up for a few weeks earlier than I’ve to start out up once more.”
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