If one watched most of the first set of the 2025 Charleston Open quarterfinal match between Danielle Collins and Jessica Pegula, one might have changed the channel. Pegula was not playing poorly, but Collins just happened to play some of the best tennis on the WTA tour this year. She rarely missed in the opening set, and Pegula could seemingly do little to keep herself in the match.
At one point, near the beginning of the first set and into the second, Collins won seven games in a row. She did so by playing magnificent clay-court tennis, but her forehand was a weapon that Pegula could not match. In the first set alone. Collins finished with nine forehand winners (and three backhand winners) while Pegula had just two total winners.
Each player made nine unforced errors, so again, it wasn't as if Pegula was beating herself. Collins was simply in total control of the match.
Jessica Pegula keeps her cool to defeat Danielle Collins at the Charleston Open
No player might have entered the Charleston Open with more confidence than Collins. In January 2024, she announced she would retire at the end of the year, but then she went on the best run of her career, including a victory in Charleston.
Since the Olympics last July, she has dramatically struggled, so expectations were likely lower entering this year's event. But then she played fabulously until the quarterfinals, including a victory over seventh-seed Jelena Ostapenko in the round of 16.
The second set was entirely different for Collins, however. After getting an early break of Pegula and leading 2-0, the top seed, who has made a career out of not giving up easily in matches, began to claw back. She reeled off three straight games to take the second set lead. Collins, meanwhile, was becoming visibly more frustrated, including smashing her racket on the court at one point.
By the end of the second set, Pegula had not only evened the match but appeared to be the favorite to win. Players just beginning to take on tennis should watch how Pegula goes about her business. She rarely gets rattled, at least not outwardly, and stays in control. Collins is quite the opposite.
While Collins has always played with emotion, her inability to control her outbursts did appear to affect the match. She began to doubt her ability to consistently win points while Pegula was at her metronomic best. She has never been the best player on tour, but she is one of the very few tennis players, man or woman, who does not often beat themselves.
Any drama of the match appeared over by the third set. Pegula got two breaks of Collins to take a 3-0 lead. She needed to hold serve to reach the semifinals. She did so and won the match 1-6 6-3 6-0. Meanwhile, Collins has to be asking herself what exactly happened.