CHARLESTON, S.C. – – Two veteran stars appear almost ready to battle for a second Credit One Charleston Open tennis title.
Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys each have tasted a title on Daniel Island. And now they are within one victory each of clashing in Sunday’s final. Each lost the first set of their quarterfinal matches on Friday, but cruised after that.
The question is whether rising star Iva Jovic or relatively unknown Yuliia Starodubtseva is capable of spoiling the setup.
PEGULA WINS THIRD STRAIGHT THREE-SETTER
Defending champion Pegula won her third straight match after losing the first set each time. This time it was powerful left-hander Diana Schnaider, the No. 7 seed, who suffered a three-set loss to Pegula, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Keys, the 2019 Charleston champion, came back with solid play against 2022 Charleston winner Belinda Bencic of Switzerland to take a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory in the quarterfinals. Bencic was the No. 3 seed, two spots ahead of Keys in the seedings.
“I’m really happy that I didn’t get too down on myself and was able to kind of recover quickly, and overall I think I played pretty solid second and third sets,” Keys said.
KEYS GAINS CONFIDENCE IN SERVE
Keys, the talented hard-hitting 2025 Australian Open champion added, “I think it was really important (his return game). I think that, even with the score line being the way that it was, I even had a few more break point chances that I kind of set myself up for pressure.
“And I think it kind of also gives you a little bit of confidence going into your own serve just knowing that you’ll always in her service games as well.”
PEGULA FACES TALENTED YOUNG PLAYER
Pegula was just happy that she was able to pull out a third straight match by winning the last two sets.
“I think I was a little more frustrated today after the first set,” Pegula admitted.
Pegula might have it even tougher on Saturday against No. 4 seed Iva Jovic, a talented 5-8, 18-year-old American who defeated 2020 Australian Open champion in the round of 16 and then took a 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 8 seed Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals.
“I do think that this week is something that I can really build off of,” Pegula said. “There’s a lot of things that I feel like I can get better at that I’m not doing that well right now . . .”
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James Beck (843-795-3584, h)
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James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at [email protected].
