Pegula leads the way as three other Americans progress into Charleston next round

Three Americans reached the Round of 16 at the Credit One Charleston Open with wins on Tuesday, and the good vibes kept going for the home favorites on Wednesday as four more joined them with comprehensive wins.

Leading the way were No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula and No. 4 seed Emma Navarro, who dropped a combined 10 games in their first matches of the clay-court season.

Pegula, fresh off a runner-up finish to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Miami Open on Saturday, won the first eight games in a 6-0, 6-3 win over qualifier Iryna Shymanovich, while Charleston’s own Navarro was a 6-4, 6-3 winner over compatriot Hailey Baptiste in one of two all-American matches played on the day.

“Up a set, 2-0, I wish I would’ve held for 3-0, didn’t happen — I felt like she really picked up her level, going [down the] line a lot, ripping her shots, and playing with nothing to lose,” Pegula said post-match. “I expected that to happen at some point but I’m glad I was able to hold on in the second.”

In an attempt to reach her fourth quarterfinal in her last six tournaments, Pegula will next face Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic, whom she defeated on her way to winning the ATX Open in Austin in February.

Also through to the last 16 were No. 15 seed Ashlyn Krueger and unseeded Sofia Kenin, who were also straight-sets winners. Krueger, who won the doubles title in Charleston last year with Sloane Stephens, was a 6-3, 7-6(4) winner over Katie Volynets in Wednesday’s other all-U.S. affair, while Kenin was emphatic in dispatching No. 17 seed Belinda Bencic, 6-0, 6-3.

Kenin, like Pegula, also started strongly to the tune of seven straight games — but rallied from 3-1 down in the second set to advance to the Round of 16 in Charleston for the first time. She will face No. 5 seed Daria Kasatkina of Australia next, after Kasatkina won her first match under the Australian flag over American Lauren Davis with the loss of just two games.