Holding the bright crystal trophy on Sunday afternoon, Jessica Pegula thanked the Charleston Open owner, Ben Navarro, tournament director Bob Moran, the ball kids, and the supportive crowd.
Then, she paused and began to speak from the heart.
“I grew up in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and trained at Smith Stearns Tennis Academy,” Pegula said, her voice breaking with emotion. “I learned to play tennis there on clay, where the old Family Circle Cup used to be. Later, in my early twenties, I spent a couple of years training here on Daniel Island.”
“To win the title here this week after playing in Miami for two weeks is just amazing.”
It truly was. In a significant and emotional full-circle moment, Pegula, the top seed, secured her first career clay-court title at 31 years old.
The 6-3, 7-5 victory against Sofia Kenin capped off an impressive run for Pegula.
Pegula was serving while trailing 5-1 in the second set and feeling exhausted after three demanding weeks. Kenin had three set points, but Pegula managed to hold serve. This became the turning point as Pegula then won the next six games and the final ten points of the match.
On March 21st, Pegula won her opening match in Miami and progressed to the final, where she lost to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. However, she remained committed to playing in Charleston, a tournament she considers her hometown event. Her win against Kenin was her 10th victory in 11 matches over just 17 days.
Pegula is now the highest-ranked American player at No. 3, switching places with Coco Gauff. Her 25 match wins this year are more than any other female player.
“Honestly, I always perform well in Miami,” Pegula said. “I told myself, ‘You can play well here too. You like the conditions here. Why not try to win this tournament?’”
“I’m very happy because I have a lot of ranking points to defend in the summer. So, I’m glad I earned some early in the year. It reduces the pressure a bit.”
Pegula was around seven years old when she first started at Smith Stearns and spent over five years there before moving to Florida.
“I always felt that’s where I truly learned to play tennis,” Pegula stated. “The technique of my strokes, which I now realize is a significant advantage. People often compliment my technique and strokes. Billy Stearns instilled that in me from a very young age, teaching me the fundamentals. It`s really special to think back to those early days of learning tennis.”
“That`s where I grew up a bit. It was such a great time in my childhood, living in Hilton Head, being in the Low Country, and playing a lot of tennis. That’s where I learned the game, so it’s incredibly meaningful to come back to Charleston and win the title.”
Pegula then answered a few questions from wtatennis.com:
Second set, down 5-1, facing 3 set points – what were you thinking?
Pegula: At that point, I was just focused on trying to hold serve and gain some momentum for the third set. I hadn’t held serve in the entire second set and didn’t want to be broken going into the third. I just needed to stop the bleeding a bit. Looking back, that game was crucial and really shifted the momentum.
Growing up in Hilton Head, what did you learn from Hall of Famer and two-time Grand Slam singles champion Stan Smith?
Pegula: Stan always focused a lot on serving technique, especially the toss. My serve is something I’ve worked hard on in recent years. It’s also cool that he’s an Adidas representative, like me, so we’ve done some Adidas promotional work together. Both he and Billy [Stearns] text me after matches and every week to stay in touch. Stan even texted yesterday to say he watched my match and admired my perseverance. He always says something encouraging, which is really cool, especially since he still follows my career. I see him often, especially at the Grand Slams in the second week. It`s great to maintain that relationship.
You won 10 of 11 matches in 17 days – did you surprise yourself?
Pegula: A little bit. But my strong finish last year gave me the confidence to go on these kinds of streaks. After Toronto, going into Cincinnati and the US Open, I realized, ‘I can win matches over two or three weeks and have a good record. I can be match-tough and handle different situations, environments, and conditions.’ I think I carried that confidence into this week.
You are scheduled to play in the Billie Jean King Cup in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Friday. Will you be going, and what are you looking forward to?
Pegula: Yes, as of now, I plan to go. I’m looking forward to dinner with friends in Charleston tonight, getting some sleep tomorrow, and then flying to Slovakia on Tuesday, which will be tough. I love team sports, and I’m approaching the next few weeks in a relaxed way. I want to enjoy the team environment, try to win, but I’m not taking a coach to BJK Cup or Stuttgart, probably. I want to have a more relaxed couple of weeks, win, play good tennis, and enjoy it more.
