Jessica Pegula is up and running at the Charleston Open, but only after a lengthy battle with Yulia Putintseva.
The top seed and the defending champion at the WTA 500 tournament, Pegula needed three hours and 10 minutes to secure the win.
The 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win represents an historic feat for the American, who just played out the longest tour-level victory of her career.
It marked quite the return to clay for Pegula, who now faces Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the Charleston Open round of 16.
Ahead of that match, she has shared what she’s been working hard on in training, in a bid to emulate ATP number one Carlos Alcaraz.
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Jessica Pegula wants to emulate Carlos Alcaraz’s drop shot
Pegula was asked on The Big T Podcast for the shot of hers that gets the biggest boost on clay, to which she replied: “The drop shot.
“I practice it quite a bit!
“The backhand drop shot has always been easier for me, but the forehand I feel like Alcaraz has brought back the forehand drop shot.
“Now I feel like Aryna [Sabalenka] does that quite a bit.
“I am working on that one. I was trying to work on it today.
“It’s not as good as the backhand but we’ll see if it comes around.”
It is indeed a skill that has been almost perfected by the Spanish star, with Jannik Sinner confident Alcaraz has the best drop shot in the men’s game, which will be a popular opinion.
His fellow world number one Sabalenka has definitely added that to her repertoire, with Pegula now aiming to follow suit.
Jessica Pegula handed brutal return to clay-court season
While Pegula will continue to work on her drop shot in practice, it’s clear that she doesn’t need to worry about her fantastic ability to outlast her opponents.
The American is now 7-1 in deciding sets in 2026, and 16-4 since the 2025 US Open.
It’s certainly a great asset to rely on when matches go the distance, and showcases both her physical and mental strength.
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She said of her opening win in Charleston: “Not a lot of words. All I could think was, ‘Welcome to clay-court season.’
“Oh my God, it’s my first match on clay. Kudos to Yulia. She’s a really tricky opponent, especially on clay.
“She can be really crafty, use high balls, low balls, slices, drop shots, and I felt like she was just honestly toying with me there for quite a while.
“I’m not really sure how I found my way back. In the third, there were so many back-and-forth moments as well.”
The 32-year-old now has a very quick turnaround in Charleston, while her next opponent Cocciaretto should be relatively fresh after beating Yue Yuan 6-0, 7-5.
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