World No. 5 Jessica Pegula successfully defended her Charleston Open title Sunday, defeating first-time finalist Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-2, 6-2 in a dominant performance that capped a grueling week.
Pegula became the tournament's first repeat champion since Serena Williams accomplished the feat in 2013. She battled through four consecutive three-set matches before coasting through Sunday's final in one hour and 22 minutes.
"Thank you to the fans who've supported me throughout this whole week," Pegula said during the tournament's trophy presentation. "There were many three-set matches. It's been such a long week for me, and you guys brought me through so many matches every single day. I love playing here."
The victory hands Pegula her second title of 2026 following her WTA 1000 triumph in Dubai in February. She captured the 11th singles title of her career while spending more than 11 hours on court during the week. She now leads the WTA Tour with 24 wins this season.
Her Charleston journey began with a three-hour, 10-minute grind against Yulia Putintseva before surviving tough three-setters against Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Diana Shnaider, and Iva Jovic to reach the final.
The 33-year-old US star saved her sharpest tennis for the championship match. She rattled off five straight games to claim the opening set, extending her run to 10 consecutive games before Starodubtseva finally broke serve while trailing 5-0 in the second set.
Pegula hit three aces and won nearly 77% of her first-serve points while facing just two break points all afternoon.
The 26-year-old Ukrainian now jumps from No. 89 to a career-high No. 53 after reaching her first WTA final. Pegula remains at No. 5.
Up Next for Jessica Pegula After the Charleston Open
Tennis now shifts to Europe as the Madrid Open kicks off April 21st, with Pegula expected to join the clay-court tournament's star-studded field.
