Jessica Pegula, the top seed and defending champion, beat 18-year-old Iva Jovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in the Charleston Open semifinal. The American veteran advanced to face Yuliia Starodubtseva in the final after a hard-fought match. Pegula saved eight of 11 break points while converting five of 19.
In an all-American semifinal on clay, Pegula overcame the young challenger who had reached her first tour-level clay semifinal without dropping a set. The pair had met earlier this year in Dubai, where Pegula prevailed in straight sets. Jovic, ranked a career-high No. 16, started strongly by breaking Pegula's serve early, but the top seed fought back to claim the first set with a service hold after forcing errors from her opponent. Pegula received a time warning in one game but secured the set 6-4 amid deuces and break points. Jovic leveled the match by taking the second set 7-5, highlighted by strong serving and winners, including an ace and overhead smash. Serving to stay in the set, Pegula erred with double faults and unforced mistakes, allowing Jovic to break. The teenager held firm under pressure, pushing the contest to a decider. Pegula elevated her game in the third set, breaking Jovic twice despite frustration and errors. She consolidated leads with backhand winners and solid serves to lead 5-3. Jovic, serving to stay in the match, faced three match points and netted a forehand to end it. Pegula noted her strategy post-match: “I think my game I definitely like to draw errors from my opponents... that can be a very good strategy.” In the final, Pegula meets Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva, who upset 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys in straight sets for her maiden tour-level final.