Jessica Pegula took the first set of the Charleston Open final, but she was struggling. She had a long week to the final, playing multiple three-set matches. Her opponent in the final, Sofia Kenin, had far fewer hours played in the event, and she even won her semifinal after her opponent retired. She was the fresher player and looked it in the second set.
Down a set to Pegula, she started strong in the second set with a couple of breaks of Pegula. She led 5-1, and Pegula appeared to be wilting in the heat and from all the work she had put in. There seemed to be little chance she could come back and win in three sets, assuming Kenin took the second.
Then the match turned. Pegula began to hit the ball far more crisply and moved as if she had just had a massive dose of caffeine. She took the second set 7-5.
Jessica Pegula defeats Sofia Kenin to win the Charleston Open
Pegula won her second title of 2025, and with the win, she will move up to No. 3 on the WTA. This will tie a career high. In moving up a spot in the rankings, she will bypass her good friend, Coco Gauff.
One might feel bad for Kenin, though. She has not won a tournament since 2020, but appeared on the cusp of taking complete control in set two. She then lost the last six games. It did not help that her father, Alex, who also works as her coach, began spouting instructions in an angry manner when Pegula began to make her way back.
It cannot help a player who is already beginning to be frustrated with their own play, only to have that reinforced by their coach and father.
Still, Pegula earned the victory, her first at the Charleston Open. At 31 years old, the American is playing some of the best tennis of her career. She shouldn't be counted out of making a run at the French Open. One of the essential things Pegula has left to do in her career is win a Grand Slam.