Charleston Open: Pegula to face Kenin in an All-American final

No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula battled into her first Credit One Charleston Open final on Saturday, twice coming back from a break down in the third set to pull off a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 semifinal victory over No. 9 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.

World No. 4 Pegula had been halted in the Charleston semifinals in each of the last two years, but she went one better this time at the WTA 500 green-clay event. However, she had to use all of her mettle to come from behind on a gusty day, outlasting 26th-ranked Alexandrova in 2 hours and 20 minutes and levelling their head-to-head at 2-2.

“It’s been the same kind of storyline in the past when I’ve played her,” Pegula said, after her win. “Played a good first set, she comes back in the second, and then, usually, I tend to lose the third. So glad I was able to flip that script today.”

Pegula will now face her fellow American Sofia Kenin in Saturday’s final. The 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin advanced when another American, No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova, retired from their semifinal due to a right hip injury. Kenin was leading 5-2 in the first set when Anisimova stopped play.

“I’m feeling very good with the level I’ve played throughout the week,” Kenin said. “It’s unfortunate that Amanda had to retire, I wish her a speedy recovery. She’s had a great year and I just wish her the best.”

Pegula leads Kenin 3-2 in their head-to-head. Pegula won their most recent meeting, when she beat former World No. 4 Kenin in the second round of last year’s US Open en route to her first Grand Slam singles final.

This is the first all-American final at Charleston since Martina Navratilova beat Jennifer Capriati in the 1990 final.