By Erik Gudris | Sunday, April 5, 2026
Picture credit score: Charleston Tennis LLC
Jessica Pegula saved her finest for final after an extended week in Charleston.
The highest-seeded Pegula produced her finest 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.
Getting 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 stage in Sunday’s closing.
However that was nothing new for Pegula, who in final yr’s match additionally performed a number of three-setters en path to profitable the title.
“It was positively a troublesome path final yr and this yr,” Pegula advised Tennis Channel after the ultimate. “And I believe typically if you win a match, you form of like romanticize like, oh, it was really easy and it’s often not. Like there’s often some days the place it’s actually onerous. And so I believe I shifted my thoughts just a little bit coming again defending.”
“I believe it’s, it’s truthfully nice for my clay court docket season, hopefully, as lengthy as I can form of keep wholesome and preserve adjusting and holding out in that mindset that on clay could be a little tough and it will get powerful,” Pegula added.
Whereas Pegula, 32, was in the hunt 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 principal tour closing.
Starodubtseva, who was set to play qualifying earlier than a last-minute withdrawal allowed her to enter the principle draw, took full benefit of the chance in Charleston. She labored her means 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 school tennis at Previous 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 via the second set with regular shotmaking. The American quickly discovered herself up 5-0 after solely an hour on court docket.
The one actual drama of the match occurred within the subsequent recreation, when Pegula served for the title. Seemingly freed up from the stress, and together with her again towards the wall, Starodubtseva began taking part in a lot better.
In an prolonged 12-minute recreation, Starodubtseva fought off three match factors towards her and eventually received on the board for 1-5.
Starodubtseva then held for 2-5 and gave the followers hope {that a} comeback, or no less than 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 nicely, I really feel like I modified up a bit my play fashion and form 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 holding it easy and be aggressive in sure moments. And I believe this was like the largest 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 total match wins at 24.
“I imply, it was positively the perfect stage I believe I confirmed right this moment,” Pegula mentioned afterwards. “So I’m glad that I used to be ready to do this in a closing, simply being up a set and 5-0, after which she performed two actually good video games and just a little longer video games, and I used to be like, okay, I don’t wish to get again into this story line of me having to grind out this match. So I used to be actually pleased with the way in which I used to be in a position to simply win that final recreation fairly convincingly simply after all of the matches I’ve been via.
“And, yeah, it was positively form of an enormous reduction and simply good realizing that I can go house and chill out for a few weeks earlier than I’ve to start out up once more.”
