Jessica Pegula kickstarts her clay season this week at the Charleston Open, where she is both the defending champion and the top seed.
Pegula enters the Charleston Open on the back of the Sunshine Double, which comprised Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
And the home favorite suffered the exact same fate at both tournaments, losing to Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.
Her focus now switches from hard courts to clay courts, with Pegula meeting Yulia Putintseva in round two following her bye in round one.
Just ahead of her opening match, the world number five has now hit a major career milestone on the WTA Tour.
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Jessica Pegula hits 200 successive weeks inside WTA top 10
Hugely impressively, Pegula is now starting her 200th successive career week inside the top 10 of the WTA rankings.
She has been in the top 10 since June 2022, with only Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek enjoying longer active streaks.
The Belarusian has enjoyed a top 10 run for 281 weeks, followed by the 231 of the Pole, while Pegula’s fellow American Coco Gauff is fourth with 186 weeks.
| Weeks | Player |
| 281 | Aryna Sabalenka |
| 231 | Iga Swiatek |
| 200 | Jessica Pegula |
| 186 | Coco Gauff |
| 95 | Jasmine Paolini |
Jessica Pegula thinks she’s an ‘outlier’ on the WTA Tour
Sabalenka and Rybakina, the top two players in the WTA rankings, have undoubtedly been the standout players in 2026.
But Pegula hasn’t been far behind them, with the American boasting a 19-4 record and one title so far this season.
And she’s been doing that in her own unique way, as she suggested ahead of her opening match in Charleston.
“I’m kind of my own thing,” she said. “I feel like I am kind of my own thing though.
“I don’t really quite play as powerful as the girls… Sabalenka, Rybakina and maybe [Amanda] Anisimova.
“They’re bigger, taller, power games, and then I think Iga and Coco use a lot of their athleticism and are very athletic around the court, the spinnier forehands and able to use their movement.
“I do think I’m kind of a little bit of an outlier in a way where I just play a very balanced type of game. It’s not overly athletic.
“I don’t really look like I think I’m hitting the ball that hard, even though I still hit it pretty hard.”
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Such an approach has worked very well for Pegula, who is enjoying fantastic success later than many of her WTA rivals.
Now 32, the experienced American claimed her 10th title in Dubai this season, having secured a career-best three titles in 2025.
The top singles seed has also committed to doubles in Charleston alongside Asia Muhammad, with the American pair starting out against Erin Routliffe and Jennifer Brady.
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