The events swiftly following the Sunshine Double often feature limited fields due to player fatigue and the Charleston Open is no different.
Amanda Anisimova and Emma Navarro have already withdrawn from the WTA 500 event in the United States, leaving the coast clear for Jessica Pegula.
Pegula has already won a WTA 1000 event this year, in Dubai, and she was impressive at the Sunshine Double.
She has now been rewarded with a very winnable draw at the Charleston Open, which makes her the overwhelming favourite.
Jessica Pegula receives kind Charleston Open draw
There is only one player inside the WTA Tour top 20 inside Pegula’s section of the draw, with potential quarter-final opponent Diana Schnaider currently at world number 19.
Pegula has reason to be confident of beating Schnaider anyway as she is yet to taste defeat against the Russian star.
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The American will play the winner of Yulia Putinseva and Lulu Sun in the second round, both of whom are currently ranked outside the top 70.
Potential matches with Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Eva Lys, and Leylah Fernandez could follow, but Pegula should quite easily breeze through to the final.
The 32-year-old might never get a better opportunity to land a WTA 500 title and retain a championship for the first time in her career.
The last player to defeat Jessica Pegula at the Charleston Open
Pegula has often made the Charleston Open the place where she kickstarts her clay court season and she has an impressive record at the event.
She has reached the semi-final or further in the last three years, with 2025 becoming the very first time she lifted the trophy.
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The last time she tasted defeat in Charleston came in the semi-finals of the 2024 event and that was against Daria Kasatkina.
Kasatkina defeated Pegula in a thrilling three-set battle which was decided by a nail-biting tie-break, which went the way of the Australian.
She proceeded to the Charleston Open final, where she was defeated by Danielle Collins in straight sets.
