Jessica Pegula overcame the challenge of Ekaterina Alexandrova to reach her first ever final at the Charleston Open.
Pegula reached the Miami Open final, where she lost to world number one Aryna Sabalenka, prior to beginning her clay court season in Charleston.
Despite reaching the final of the Charleston Open, the American has not had it all her own way, with Pegula battling back against Danielle Collins and now Alexandrova.
It was not just the game of Alexandrova that appeared to be bothering Pegula, who has admitted that the elements also played their part.
What Jessica Pegula really struggled with in her Charleston Open semi-final
Pegula was forced to come from a break down in the decider to beat Alexandrova, 6-2 2-6 7-5, to make it third time lucky after losing her semi-finals at the Charleston Open in both 2023 and 2024.
It is also the first time that Pegula has beaten Alexandrova since 2021, after losing both of their most recent meetings.
When speaking about the match in her press conference, Pegula referenced both of those defeats and claimed that the wind also made things challenging in Charleston.
“Played a good first set, she comes back in the second and I tend to lose the third, so glad I was able to flip that script today,” said Pegula. “But yeah, it was just kind of a crafty match today, the conditions were really tough.
“It was super windy, especially on that one side and it was a lot of uncomfortable shots, footwork, just awkward kind of situations, so it was kind of hard to balance yourself with playing aggressive and playing with some margin with the wind.”
Pegula now has the opportunity to win her first clay court title, after losing her only previous final on the surface at the Madrid Open in 2022.
Jessica Pegula explains why she did not engage with the crowd
With Pegula being the home player for her semi-final against Alexandrova, she was receiving the majority of the support from the Charleston Open crowd.
While she appreciated this support, Pegula admitted that she does not like to engage with the crowd too much in a bid to preserve her energy.
“I’m one that, like I can’t get too emotionally like into a match, because it really drains me,” explained Pegula. “I’m just not one of those people, I mean that’s why I’m not fist pumping to the crowd, if I ever did that I’d be like zapped of energy.
“That’s one of the reasons I can’t be like that, but I could definitely feel their presence and feel their energy, and using it just to stay focused and to not get let myself get frustrated or overly frustrated if something wasn’t going my way, so that’s kind of how I was trying to use their energy.
“But, of course it’s amazing always to hear that crowd in big moments. I mean I feel it every year here, but it felt extra special today.”
Pegula will try to forget her Miami defeat now, as she is set to play compatriot Sofia Kenin in the final of the Charleston Open.
Not only would this be a first clay court title for Pegula, but she would also overtake Coco Gauff and become American number one if she is to lift the WTA 500 trophy.
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