CHARLESTON—Jessica Pegula stormed to her second straight title at the Credit One Charleston Open, defeating Yuliia Starodubtseva, 6-2, 6-2.
Pegula has now won 10 straight matches in Charleston, saving her best performance for last against the surprise finalist, clinching the win in one hour and 21 minutes on Sunday.
The top seed had been made to battle throughout the week on Daniel Island, winning four consecutive three-set matches just to reach the final. In all four matches, she trailed by at least 0-2 in the deciding set.
“It’s been a little bit of a roller coaster for me. But, yeah, my sense of humor keeps me going, I guess,” she said after defeating No. 7 seed Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals.
Her semifinal win over fellow American Iva Jovic was the first match of the week in which she won the opening set, but Pegula proved far more efficient against Starodubtseva, an Old Dominion University alum playing her first WTA final.
