Pegula subdues Starodubtseva 6-2, 6-2 to claim Charleston Open championship

Jessica Pegula from Buffalo, NY, was the top seed and defending champion at the Credit One Charleston Open, a WTA 500 clay-court event. The world #5 has gone the distance in every round, challenging her resilience and stamina.

Yuliia Starodubtseva, on tournament debut, dropped one set en route to the final and in the previous round, dispatched former world #5 and 2019 Charleston Open champion, Madison Keys. The twenty-six-year-old from Ukraine, currently ranked #89, was competing in her first tour final and against Pegula for the first time.

The American won the toss and chose to receive. Starodbutseva opened with a backhand drop shot and an ace up the tee and held to 30 while Pegula struck two consecutive winners and held to 15 to level.

Starodbutseva missed 3/5 first serves yet held easily to 15, and the defending champion replied in kind, holding to 15 with a fantastic crosscourt backhand. The Ukrainian opened the fifth with two consecutive groundstroke winners but dumped serve with three errors off deep returns.

Maxwell Vittorio/ZUMA Press Wire / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

Pegula missed 4/5 first serves yet held easily to 15 to consolidate the break for 4-2. Starodbutseva opened the seventh with a monster serve up the tee, but dropped serve following three consecutive unforced errors. The world #5 serving with new balls hit two aces and sealed the set when her opponent netted a forehand.

Starodbutseva served first in the second, and though she made 5/6 first serves, she was broken following three consecutive backhand errors. Pegula struggled in her opening service game, facing  two deuce and two break points before consolidating the break for 2-0.

The Ukrainian missed three consecutive first serves, including a double fault and dropped serve with a mishit forehand. Pegula playing with poise and purpose held at love with a blistering forehand down the line to consolidate the break for 4-0.

Starodbutseva missed 3/5 first serves and dumped serve following another forehand error and a winning forehand from her opponent. Pegula served for the championship with a commanding lead.
While she reached match point at 40-30 and created two more, she failed to convert as her opponent upped the aggression. Starodbutseva earned four break points and converted when the top seed overcooked a backhand. Starodbutseva missed four consecutive first serves, but with three spectacular winners, including a forehand pass down the line, consolidated the break for 2-5.
Pegula once again served for the match and this time secured victory. She opened with a forehand crosscourt winner and converted her fourth match point when her opponent mishit the return.
During her final press conference, I asked what the greatest challenge Starodubtseva posed was and how it was neutralized. She replied, “ Yeah. I think she really wants to dictate with her forehand. I think I had to kind of attack her second serve and take some risks there, especially on the clay. I think she likes to set up her forehand with her serve. So I wanted to take that pattern away as much as I could. And, actually, yeah, I thought I played pretty smart. I wasn’t afraid to hit to her forehand and still wanted to move her, but was able to kind of pin her in the corners and make her have to maybe go for too much.”

It was a dominating performance from the American, who has surpassed world #1 Aryna Sabalenka in match wins this season with twenty-four. Pegula, with her second title of the season (Dubai), heads to Europe with a clay-court title and a ton of confidence as she traverses the road to Roland Garros.