Yulia Putintseva fought tooth and nail but eventually succumbed to Jessica Pegula in an epic contest at the\u00a0Charleston Open.<\/p>\n
Top seed Pegula was made to work for a\u00a04-6 6-4 7-5 victory, which sealed her place in the third round.<\/p>\n
The American required three hours and 10 minutes to get the job done, marking her longest career victory at WTA Tour level.<\/p>\n
“All I could think was, ‘Welcome to clay-court season.’ Oh my God, it’s my first match on clay,” said Pegula, who will face\u00a0Elisabetta Cocciaretto next.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“I’m not really sure how I found my way back. In the third, there were so many back-and-forth moments as well.”<\/p>\n
Madison Keys, meanwhile, had no such issues as she downed Donna Vekic 6-2 6-3 in a little over an hour.<\/p>\n
Saving the drama for her bestie @JPegula<\/a> @Madison_Keys<\/a> | #CharlestonOpen<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/H6FQzF7O3v<\/a><\/p>\n