Top-Seeded Jessica Pegula Advances Towards Charleston Title in WTA Roundup

Jessica Pegula, the top seed, narrowly escaped defeat against the 12th seed, Victoria Azarenka, by saving four match points and winning 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7) in the Credit One Charleston Open quarterfinals in South Carolina. Despite Azarenka’s effort in saving four match points herself, her 12 double faults compared to Pegula’s none was a decisive factor in the match.

Pegula’s victory sets up a semifinal clash with the fourth seed, Daria Kasatkina of Russia, who won her quarterfinal match against Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-3 after a grueling 2 hours and 42 minutes, converting half of her 20 break point chances.

Danielle Collins extended her winning streak to 11 matches, ensuring two Americans reached the Charleston semifinals for the first time in 11 years since Venus and Serena Williams. Collins, unseeded, defeated Belgium’s No. 11 seed Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-4 in just over an hour, marking her progress to her 15th career semifinal.

Collins, who plans to retire at the end of the season, comes off a recent victory at the Miami Open. The remaining quarterfinal featured Greece’s third seed Maria Sakkari against Russia’s ninth seed Veronika Kudermetova.

In the Copa Colsanitas quarterfinals in Bogota, Colombia, the eighth seed Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia overcame a first-set loss to beat Spain’s fourth seed Cristina Bucsa 0-6, 6-4, 7-5. Italy’s Sara Errani also recovered from a slow start to defeat Romania’s Irina Bara 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, saving 17 of 23 break points and securing 8 of 20 of her own.

The tournament’s later quarterfinals were set to feature the top seed Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic against Germany’s seventh seed Laura Siegemund, and Colombia’s own Camila Osorio, the sixth seed, against the second seed, Tatjana Maria of Germany.