Daijiworld Media Network - Charleston
Charleston, Apr 4: Top seed Jessica Pegula staged yet another comeback to book her place in the semi-finals of the WTA Charleston Open with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Russia’s Diana Shnaider on Friday.
The defending champion, currently ranked world No. 5, dropped the opening set for the third consecutive match but once again showed resilience to turn the contest around. Pegula sealed the win in two hours and 10 minutes, firing eight aces to overpower her opponent.
Shnaider put up a strong fight and even broke early in the deciding set to take a 2-0 lead. However, Pegula responded emphatically, winning six consecutive games to close out the match.
Pegula, who is chasing her second title of the season after her triumph in Dubai earlier this year, will next face fellow American Iva Jovic. Jovic advanced to the last four with a straight-sets win over Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya.
Despite receiving a first-round bye, Pegula has already spent over seven hours on court, playing nine sets in the tournament. Notably, she has won nine of her last 10 matches that went into a deciding third set this year.
In the other semi-final, fifth seed Madison Keys rallied to defeat Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a clash of former champions.
Keys, who lifted the Charleston title in 2019, has reached her first WTA semi-final of the year and will face Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva, who defeated American McCartney Kessler 6-4, 6-4.
The semi-final line-up sets up an exciting finish to the tournament as top contenders battle for a place in the final.