Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro make confident starts at Charleston Open with seamless wins

Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro earned comfortable victories at the WTA 500 Charleston Open, advancing to the second round in their clay-swing debut. The first and fourth seeds overcame the difficult test of their first match on a new surface.

Both players had had mixed fortunes in the Sunshine Double. Navarro had only one win at Indian Wells and lost in the debut at the Miami Open, while Pegula had a more successful run, reaching the final in Miami, although she finished as runner-up behind Aryna Sabalenka.

The world No. 4 was the top favorite for the title and had an easy debut on paper against the unseeded Iryna Shymanovich (No. 215), who had come through qualifying and was playing her first WTA 500 draw.

Pegula dominated the match from start to finish. In the first set, she won 80% of the points with her first serve and 56% with her second. She also made an impact on return, winning 67% of the points on Shymanovich's serve. The American was particularly effective, taking three consecutive breaks on three opportunities and closing the first set 6-0.

At the start of the second set, Pegula again took an early break and ran off eight consecutive games in her favor. However, Shymanovich began showing she could compete with the world No. 4, breaking back and later, with a strong service game, she leveled at 2-2. After exchanged breaks in the 6th and 7th games, the Belarusian was down 3-4 on serve to stay in the match. Pegula raised her level in the pressure moments and sealed the victory 6-0, 6-3 in one hour and 33 minutes.

Navarro (No. 11) had lost in the opener at the Miami Open to Emma Raducanu in a tight match 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-7(3), a tournament where more was expected from the 8th seed. This loss also cost her departure from the top-10 after almost 7 months. She faced compatriot Hailey Baptiste (No. 90), a player she had beaten twice before in ITF tournaments, but they hadn't met in WTA-level events.

Baptiste did not let herself be intimidated by a higher-ranked opponent and kept the match close for most of the time. She secured the first break of the match, taking a 3-2 lead, but Navarro quickly recovered to level the score. Both players were solid on serve, but Baptiste conceded a few break points to Navarro when serving at 4-5. The 23-year-old took advantage of her third set point to take the lead in the match with a 6-4 scoreline.

The start of the second set wasn't easy for Navarro, as she faced four break points right away but managed to come through unscathed. Baptiste seemed closer to a break, but Navarro showed her experience and took control when Baptiste was playing her best tennis. One break in the 4th game was enough for Navarro to hold on to her service. The world No. 11 had incredible pressure resistance, saving 12 out of 12 break points throughout the set, and closed the victory 6-4, 6-3.