Pegula wins Charleston Open after Kenin collapse

Top seed Jessica Pegula overcame Sofia Kenin 6-3 7-5 to win the Charleston Open on Sunday in the first all-American final at the tournament since 1990.

World number four Pegula, fresh off her Miami Open final loss to Aryna Sabalenka, adapted seamlessly to the green clay surface, securing her second singles title of the season and eighth of her career.

“I spend a couple of years training here on Daniel Island in my early 20s. So to be able to come here this week after a long two weeks in Miami and take the title is just incredible,” Pegula said.

Pegula struck early, breaking her opponent in the opening game and nearly doing so again in the third. Kenin held firm, however, saving two break points before breaking Pegula back to level at 2-2.

Kenin looked to shift momentum in her next service game as she saved a break point to hold and take the lead for the first time after a shaky start.

But the 2020 Australian Open champion failed to maintain the push, dropping her serve twice more as Pegula closed out the first set in just over half an hour.

Pegula struggled with her serve in the second set while Kenin, leaning on strong backhand winners, looked on course to force a decider as she served at 5-2.

The US Open runner-up, however, saved three set points and mounted a comeback, winning six consecutive games to seal the win.

“I thought I hit a wall in the second set and realised how tired I was. (Kenin) started to play some high level and there were a couple of games where I didn’t break and didn’t hold,” Pegula told The Tennis Channel.

“It was super windy, super tough conditions. If you lost focus for a split second or stopped moving your feet for a second it just swings so fast.”

The 31-year-old’s first claycourt title will lift her to number three in the world, overtaking Coco Gauff as the top-ranked American.

Brooksby shines: Jenson Brooksby captured his maiden ATP title at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship on Sunday with a stunning win over 2023 champion Frances Tiafoe to cap off a superb tournament which he began as a wild card in the qualifying rounds.

Victory was all the more sweet for the 24-year-old American who had lost a big chunk of his career due to a ban for missing drug tests and two wrist surgeries in 2023.

“It means the world,” Brooksby said after his 6-4 6-2 win over second seed Tiafoe.

“It was one of my biggest goals ever since I have been a professional tennis player. It means a lot to have my first one. It’s probably the best week of my life.”

Having come into the tournament at number 507 following the major disruption of his career, Brooksby also became the third-lowest-ranked champion in the tour’s history since 1990.

He was hit with an 18-month ban in October 2023 for three “whereabouts failures” in a 12-month span but had the suspension reduced to 13 months on appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport after disputing the second missed test.

Hampered by injuries during and after the ban, he finally made his return to tennis at the Australian Open earlier this year and lost to compatriot Taylor Fritz in the first round.

Brooksby persevered and saved multiple matchpoints in three of his matches to prevail in Houston.

“I’ve had a lot of different life adversity, whether it’s on the court or off the court,” Brooksby said.

“So I think it makes these situations ... like, I still get nervous about them and somewhat tense for sure, but it gives you a different perspective once you’ve had to face other difficult things in life.

“I’m just someone who hates to lose and loves to win in general - obviously tennis being most important, but even in other games, and that’s just how I’m wired as a person.

“I just really love winning, so that transfers over into when I’m in tough positions and maybe you should lose in those situations, that I’m able to at least find a way out of it.”

Reuters