It was not a simple task for the number one seed Jessica Pegula, who did not do it the easy way, but she still
proved to be too good against Elisabetta Cocciaretto in what could have been a
huge upset in the Charleston Open.
The reigning champion would go on to win
1-6, 6-1, 7-6(1) but that first set obviously could have been the start of something
very special for the Italian. She blitzed past her opponent in the opening
stages, taking just 32 minutes to sail into a delightful advantage.
That 6-1 scoreline was matched by the world number five who
was desperately trying to find a pathway back into this match. She was in a
perilous position again when her opponent found a timely break. She left it late
to abolish that advantage, going 4-1 down before eventually getting a streak of
games under her belt to get level. It would end up at a tiebreak in which had a
lot riding on it.
The last time Pegula had failed to reach the quarterfinal
stage of a WTA tournament was at the 2025 Cincinnati Open back in August. She
was not letting that record relinquish without a fight and battered her
opponent at a critical time, offering her no chance for a comeback as she
sneaked through what was another tight match in Charleston.
Jessica Pegula’s quest to win the Charleston Open for a second year running is still on
Bencic overcomes tricky testBelinda Bencic def. Sara Bejlek 7-6(4), 6-2
Belinda Bencic fought her way back into a match that she
looked to be in trouble of at one point. In the end, she proved to be too
strong for Sara Bejlek.
It would be the Czech who raced out ahead with a clinical
three-game burst that put the world number 12 on the back foot. However, Bencic
was able to respond and get level at 3-3. Bejlek threatened to repeat the fate
as she broke to go 5-3 ahead and would attempt to serve the first set out.
Bencic broke back in the nick of time and forced a tiebreak. The 2022 champion
took a slender lead and kept a hold of it for the entirety of the tiebreak to put
herself in front.
Bencic has enjoyed prior success on the grey clay of
Charleston, reaching a brace of finals. A third final came slightly closer as
she won five games on the spin in an emphatic response to being broken in the first
game of the second set. Bejlek prevented Bencic from serving it out the first
time but she could do nothing on her own serve which was blitzed in that second
set. Bencic sealed her spot in the last-eight, now a couple of wins away from
climbing back into the top 10.
Belinda Bencic won the Charleston Open in 2022
Keys unlocks pathway into last-eightMadison Keys def. Anna Bondar 6-2, 7-5
Madison Keys has a lot of positive history at this
tournament. She reached the final in 2015 before getting over the line in 2019.
She will be hoping to get back to her best in Charleston, and has taken a step
closer to that dream with a decent win over Anna Bondar.
Four of the first five games went against the serve as Keys
took the advantage in terms of the score. From 4-1, she saw it out with both players
starting to settle on their serve. The second set was a lot tighter. It seemed
that Bodar had responded brilliantly with a break to move 3-1 in front but Keys
quickly got back on level terms, halting the progress of the Hungarian. It
stayed on serve with a tiebreak looking imminent. However, the former
Australian Open champion broke the serve at a crucial time. She served the match
out from 6-5 and sets up a mouthwatering clash against Bencic in the
quarterfinal.
Shnaider routes FernandezDiana Shnaider def. Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 6-0
It began as a close tie, but in the end it was a routing in
the favour of Diana Shnaider who thrashed Leylah Fernandez with a string of
games which went right to the end of the match.
This could have been different if the Canadian took one of
her early opportunities. In the first two games, eight break points were on
offer and all of them were wasted. Fernandez had six chances but was unable to
capitalise. Four routine holds followed before Shnaider went berserk.
She broke the serve on the way to winning the first set 6-3
before the Russian continued to barrage her rival with a flurry of brilliant
tennis. She made it nine games on the spin to easily bypass an out of sorts
Fernandez to earn back-to-back wins for the first time since the Australian
Open.
Diana Shnaider in action
Kessler takes down fellow American in dramatic endingMcCartney Kessler def. Peyton Stearns 6-0, 3-6, 6-4
It looked at first that McCartney Kessler was going to
breeze past her fellow American. Despite winning nine of the first 10 games,
she managed narrowly to get over the line against Peyton Stearns who threatened
an unlikely comeback.
Just 23 minutes it took for Kessler to bagel Stearns. She
would then break in the second enroute to a 3-1 lead. Everything was looking
rosy, but then Stearns upped her level. She won five games in a row and from
nowhere forced a third and deciding set.
Kessler failed to take an early break point but it would
seem that it would not matter. After seven consecutive holds, she broke at a pivotal
time and now had the chance to serve it out. Stearns had other ideas and broke
back straight away. Kessler still had another chance to see it out but just on
her opponent’s serve. What followed was a dramatic game which seven deuces and
eight match points. Finally, Kessler sealed the deal and was able to put herself
into the quarterfinal despite not the most convincing of endings.
Walk in the park for Starodubtseva Yulia Starodubtseva def. Renata Zarazúa. 6-1, 6-0
The quickest match of the day came from a rampant Yulia
Starodubtseva who had no issue in taking down Renata Zarazúa.
After the pair kicked off the match with holds of serve, Zarazua
would not get another game on the board. It was an incredible and seemingly unending
burst from the Ukrainian who ended up winning 11 games in a row to blast past
her hapless opponent and seal her spot in the quarterfinals.