Pegula retains Charleston title for second 2026 win
Top seed Jessica Pegula retained her Charleston Open title with a comfortable victory against first-time finalist Yuliia Starodubtseva.
The American defeated her unseeded opponent 6-2 6-2 for her second title of the year, following her triumph in the Dubai Tennis Championships in February.
The 32-year-old, who won four consecutive three-set matches to reach the final, also had to dig deep at times against Starodubtseva as she saved seven out of eight break points to seal an emphatic win.
It was the 24th victory of her consistent season and moves Pegula ahead of world number one Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the leaderboard of WTA wins this year.
"Thank you to the fans who supported me throughout the whole week," said Pegula.
"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. So thank you so much – I love playing here."
Starodubtseva cruised into her maiden final but struggled against the world number five as she produced 41 unforced errors.
The Ukrainian's run in South Carolina did however mean she climbed 36 ranks to reach a career-best 53.
