Jessica Pegula praises arrangements at Charleston Open ran by Emma Navarro's dad

America’s tennis star Jessica Pegula has praised the overall quality of the Charleston Open. The 31-year-old cemented her spot in the final of the competition after beating Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semifinal with a score of 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.

Talking after her win in the last four clashes, as quoted by the English media outlet Daily Express, Pegula was full of praise about the arrangements made for the competition, which is owned by the father of fellow WTA player Emma Navarro, Ben Navarro. The 2024 US Open runner-up, who belongs to a billionaire family and who are the owners of the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bandits, stated that it ‘feels nice’ to come and play in the competition.

"I think the fans and just the hospitality of everything makes it feel kind of like you’re just playing at home, which I really like," said Pegula. "So, yeah, haven’t had a ton of free time. Maybe tonight I’ll get to venture off a little bit. But it’s fun. It’s fun because we know the city so well, too. I was hanging out with [former tennis player] Jen Brady the other night, because we were just here for Madi’s [Madison Keys’] wedding, which seems like not that long ago. So it feels like we were just here, kind of exploring the city. So, yeah, it feels nice."

Talking about the match, Pegula was of the opinion that the encounter felt like a ‘storyline in the past’. "It’s been the same kind of storyline in the past when I’ve played her," said Pegula as quoted by WTA’s official website. "Played a good first set, she comes back in the second, and then, usually, I tend to lose the third. So glad I was able to flip that script today."

Pegula will now face fellow American and one-time Grand Slam winner Sofia Kenin, who registered her spot in the final after being awarded a walkover in the last-four clash against Amanda Anisimova.