Jessica Pegula is a WTA Tour champion once again, with the American having beaten compatriot Sofia Kenin in the Charleston Open final.
Kenin consoled Amanda Anisimova after the latter retired hurt from their semi-final, with the former then going on to lose the final to Pegula.
Pegula admitted feeling tired at the Charleston Open, but the top seed still managed to overcome Kenin 6-3, 7-5 for her eighth WTA trophy.
She needed just one hour and 26 minutes to beat the 2020 Australian Open, who has now climbed 10 places to 34th in the WTA rankings.
Pegula meanwhile has risen one spot to number three in the world rankings, overtaking fellow American Coco Gauff.
Coco Gauff and Madison Keys message Jessica Pegula after Charleston Open win
And the latter is among the players reacting to the former on social media, sharing in her Charleston Open success.
“Maddie and I had a great week,” Pegula wrote on Instagram about her and her dog. “It’s really special winning in a place that means so much to me.
READ MORE: Jessica Pegula responds when asked if she could play doubles with Coco Gauff in Rome this year
“Charleston Open, you go above and beyond to make this tournament the best it can be – thank you for everything. I already can’t wait for next year, Charleston.”
Gauff commented: “Congratulations,” with recent Australian Open champion Madison Keys commenting: “Goat s—”.
Legendary figures Victoria Azarenka and Kim Clijsters also messaged Pegula, with the former writing: “Love that, congrats Jessie,” as the latter shared a handful of emojis.
Who did Jessica Pegula beat en route to the Charleston Open title?
It was another superb tournament from Pegula, who had only just lost the Miami Open final to Aryna Sabalenka.
But rather than ponder what went wrong in Miami, the American got her head down and stormed to the title in Charleston.
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| Round one | Bye | N/A |
| Round two | Iryna Shymanovich | 6-0, 6-3 |
| Round of 16 | Ajla Tomljanovic | 6-3, 6-2 |
| Quarter-final | Danielle Collins (7) | 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 |
| Semi-final | Ekaterina Alexandrova (9) | 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 |
| Final | Sofia Kenin | 6-3, 7-5 |
And she has improved her head-to-head record over Kenin in the process, which now stands at 4-2 in favour of Pegula.
The champion fired down three aces and committed just two double faults throughout the match, which involved a second-set comeback from 5-1 down.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
