All week at the 2026 Charleston Open, defending champion Jessica Pegula had battled through three-set matches. She followed the same narrative, too. The top-seed would fall behind only to take the last two sets and move forward.
In the semifinals, though, her level of competition ticked up. 18-year-old Iva Jovic is part of the future of American tennis, skilled at all facets of the game while still finding herself. Taking on the 32-year-old Pegula wasn't just a battle to get to the final of the event, but a learning experience, too.
To be sure, she learned quite a bit about her opponent. The two had only played once before, and that was earlier in 2026 when the older player won relatively easily in straight sets. Not so much in Charleston.
Jessica Pegula defeats Iva Jovic at the 2026 Charleston Open
Pegula jumped out to a 6-4 lead with a first-set win, and seemingly, this match would be easier. Instead, Jovic got a late break in the second set and evened the match 7-5. She got another break at the start of the third set, and against any other player would have likely had all the momentum. Playing Pegula doesn't work that way, though.
While Pegula, the No. 5 player on the WTA tour, might not have any one shot that is elite, all her shots are very good. This makes her dangerous, no matter who she is playing or what the tournament is. It also keeps her from ever getting close to No. 1 as she will lose to better players even while having the heart of a champion.
In the Charleston match with Jovic, Pegula and her opponent faced far too many break chances. Both reached double figures, while converting few of them. That said, Pegula did so when she needed to. After Jovic led 2-0 in the third set with a break in hand, Pegula raced back to get two breaks of her own and suddenly led 3-2 and on serve.
She then consolidated the break by getting to 4-2 with a hold. The outcome of another three-set victory seemed certain at that point, but one that the American should fix in the future. She took the final set 6-3 after getting another break.
Jessica Pegula will next face the winner of the Madison Keys and Yuliia Starodubtseva match in the final on Sunday. None of the players can be discounted, though Pegula is more equal than others in terms of needing to be defeated physically and mentally. The latter is nearly impossible.