Eppe Franklyne –
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Jessica Pegula triumphed over Sofia Kenin 6-3, 7-5 to win the Charleston Open, marking the first all-American final since 1990.
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Pegula secured her second singles title of the season and eighth career title, after overcoming a challenging second set.
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Despite a strong effort from Kenin, Pegula’s early breaks and strong finishing pushed her to victory.
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Pegula’s win on green clay, after a tough Miami Open final loss, is her first claycourt title and elevates her to world number three, surpassing Coco Gauff as the top-ranked American.
Top seed Jessica Pegula emerged victorious in the Charleston Open on Sunday, defeating Sofia Kenin 6-3, 7-5 in the first all-American final at the tournament since 1990. Pegula, ranked number four in the world, delivered a strong performance, securing her second singles title of the season and her eighth overall. This victory came just days after her runner-up finish at the Miami Open to Aryna Sabalenka.
Pegula, who trained on the green clay courts of Daniel Island during her early 20s, expressed her joy at winning the title. “To be able to come here this week after a long two weeks in Miami and take the title is just incredible,” she remarked.
The match began with Pegula dominating, breaking Kenin in the opening game and nearly doing so again in the third. Kenin fought back, saving two break points and eventually breaking Pegula to level the score at 2-2. Kenin showed resilience, saving a break point in her next service game to take the lead for the first time after a shaky start. However, Pegula regained control, breaking Kenin twice more to close out the first set in just over 30 minutes.
The second set proved more challenging for Pegula, as she struggled with her serve, and Kenin found her rhythm, firing strong backhand winners. Kenin seemed poised to force a deciding set as she served at 5-2. But Pegula, showing her resilience, saved three set points and mounted a remarkable comeback, winning six consecutive games to seal the match.
Pegula admitted to feeling fatigued during the second set, acknowledging how quickly momentum could shift in the challenging, windy conditions. “It was super windy, super tough conditions. If you lost focus for a split second or stopped moving your feet for a second it just swings so fast,” she said in a post-match interview.
With her first-ever claycourt title, Pegula will rise to number three in the world rankings, overtaking fellow American Coco Gauff to become the highest-ranked player from the United States.
