Jessica Pegula hails women’s sports, all-American Charleston final

Jessica Pegula guaranteed a historic final at the Credit One Charleston Open, ensuring the first all-American final in South Carolina since 1990 after outlasting Ekaterina Alexandrova in three sets.

“It shows the depth that Americans have right now, especially on the women’s side,” said Pegula, who survived Alexandrova, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5. “There’s so many of us, it’s annoying, almost!

“Every week, there’s someone to root for because there’s usually someone doing good. I’m just happy I get to be a part of it, so an all-American final will be a lot of fun tomorrow.”

Read more: Pegula looks to step out of comfort zone on clay

Pegula flipped a two-match losing streak to Alexandrova, who beat the American at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open back in February, and opened up about her plan to keep the hard-hitting No. 9 seed off balance through three grueling sets in windy conditions.

“I tried to slow my serve down a little bit and try to hit more high kicks in the wind. When it’s right in her slot, it comes back harder and faster. In the past, I’d feel like, ‘I don’t understand; I’m not serving that bad and I’m hitting big serves.’” But she just takes it so early with the way she’s able to redirect it and hit it so flat and deep right at you.

“I was trying to stay focused, trying not to let the frustration take over, but it’s a hard balance. You’re teetering on trying to be aggressive but trying not to play low percentage in the wind. You’re trying to play smart in the wind while trying to mix it up. Today, it happened to work out. I can’t say that happens every single time, but I tried my best to keep my head and keep focusing on what I thought I needed to do.”

Into her fourth WTA final of the season, Pegula will now face Sofia Kenin, the winner of the second semifinal after countrywoman Amanda Anisimova was forced to retire.

“Finally, I made a finally here,” said the top seed, a two-time semifinalist at the tour’s premier green clay event. “I always feel like I’ve played some good tennis here. It’s similar to Miami: semi, semi, and now a final. Maybe the third time’s the charm here instead of losing in the final like Miami. I hope I can win tomorrow, but I know it’s going to be a tough match. These girls hit the ball similarly, very big, and they can hit a lot of winners.”

The world No. 4 is coming off an impressive finish to the Sunshine Swing, where she finished runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the Miami Open’s Hard Rock Stadium. Pegula has amassed a tour-leading 24 match wins in 2025, and is proud to represent a rising wave in women’s sports.

“I just think we’ve had so many superstars that have come out, whether it’s in tennis or you see Caitlin Clark, or Nelly Korda,” said Pegula, who shouted out the many in Charleston—including Tennis Channel Analyst Steve Weissman—for wearing “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” t-shirts. “All these girls are really, really good, and they’re carrying their sports on their backs, and they have that star power that can draw fans to come and watch.

“To be a part of a sport that has led that trend for a long time as far as being the highest-paid women’s sport in the world, I’m very proud to be a part of that sport, and I hope we just keep continuing to inspire and motivate the next generation of young girls that are hopefully going to be the ones making even more money and have even more people watching them for years to come.”

Click here to watch Pegula take part in Charleston’s championship match on Sunday.