Jessica Pegula fought tooth and nail against Iva Jovic to book her place in the Charleston Open final for a second consecutive year.
Pegula, the top seed and defending champion in Charleston, defeated her young compatriot 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in South Carolina.
As a result, Pegula has set up a meeting with Ukrainian Julija Starodubzewa in the Charleston Open final.
Jessica Pegula’s Charleston Open run
- beat Yulia Putintseva 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
- beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto 1-6, 6-1, 7-6
- beat Dian Shnaider 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
- beat Iva Jovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
- Julija Starodubzewa: ?
Pegula’s path to the final has been far from simple: she has won four consecutive three-set matches on her way to the final.
For this reason, Pegula has proven that she is capable of winning a Grand Slam title this year.
Jessica Pegula’s competitive spirit will lead her to Grand Slam glory
Jessica Pegula’s run at the Charleston Open has proven one thing: the American possesses a grittiness few others do on the WTA Tour.
How do you rate Jessica Pegula’s chances of ever winning a Grand Slam?
To win four consecutive three-set matches is no simple feat: yet Pegula has been able to do so.
The American has so far failed to win a Grand Slam title, with her best result occurring at the 2024 US Open when she lost in the final to Aryna Sabalenka.
However, if Pegula continues to produce stunning comeback victories at future Grand Slam events, there is no reason why she cannot win a major title.
Remarkably, Pegula has won 10 of her 11 three-set matches this season.
Her only loss came against world number two Elena Rybakina at the Miami Open.
| Tournament | Opponent | Result | Score |
| Brisbane International | Anna Kalinskaya | Win | 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 |
| Dayana Yastremska | Win | 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 | |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | Clara Tauson | Win | 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 |
| Amanda Anisimova | Win | 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 | |
| Indian Wells | Donna Vekic | Win | 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 |
| Jelena Ostapenko | Win | 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 | |
| Miami Open | Elena Rybakina | Loss | 6-2, 3-6, 4-6 |
| Charleston Open | Yulia Putintseva | Win | 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 |
| Elisabetta Cocciaretto | Win | 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 | |
| Diana Shnaider | Win | 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 | |
| Iva Jovic | Win | 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 |
One should not underestimate how important Jessica Pegula’s record is when it comes to her Grand Slam hopes.
The ability to stay in a match when not playing at your best is an invaluable trait – one that will serve Pegula well at future Grand Slam events against the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.
If the American can showcase this skill at the biggest WTA events, there is no telling what she could achieve throughout the rest of this year.
Jessica Pegula’s 2024 US Open run
At the 2024 US Open, Jessica Pegula enjoyed her best ever run at a Grand Slam event.
The American defeated Sofia Kenin, Iga Swiatek and Karolina Muchová on her way to the final, where she faced world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Unfortunately for fans of the American, she fell to a 5-7, 5-7 loss against the Belarusian.
Speaking to reporters in New York after the heartbreaking loss, Pegula congratulated Sabalenka on her victory.
“Yeah, super-tough match today,” said Pegula. “Obviously I would love to be in a third set right now, but I guess relatively speaking, happy that I was able to at least get my chances to win a set, considering I was down in the first and in the second.
“So [I] was able to find some good tennis. Just wasn’t quite able to sustain it. Yeah, congrats to her. I think she played some big tennis in some big moments.”
