Preview Charleston Open Final: Jessica Pegula and Sofia Kenin battle for first clay-court crown

An exciting final awaits at the WTA 500 Charleston Open, as American players Jessica Pegula and Sofia Kenin face off, both aiming for their first clay-court title. Each has previously reached a final on the surface, and now they’ll have a chance to complete a title on all three surfaces.

Top seed Jessica Pegula survived a rollercoaster match against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semifinals, and her recent wins have all been hard-fought, three-set battles. In contrast, Kenin enters the final without having dropped a set all week. She played less than 30 minutes in Saturday’s semifinal after Amanda Anisimova retired due to injury.

The world No. 4 has kept up her impressive form for the past few years, and 2025 has been no exception. She holds a 24–5 record this season, having won the ATX Open and reached finals at the Adelaide International and the Miami Open. Charleston will be her fourth final of the year, as she seeks her second title in 2025.

The 31-year-old advanced through the early rounds with ease, defeating Iryna Shymanovich (6–0, 6–3) and Ajla Tomljanovic (6–3, 6–2), demonstrating her dominance in key moments. Across both matches, she converted 10 break points out of 14 opportunities. As the tournament’s top seed, she faced the defending champion in the quarterfinals, overcoming a rocky start to dominate Danielle Collins 1–6, 6–3, 6–0.

In the semifinals, Pegula came through a wild encounter with Alexandrova, with a third set filled with break exchanges. But when it mattered most, she raised her level and sealed the win 6–2, 2–6, 7–5.

The 2024 US Open runner-up has proven her ability to perform under pressure and live up to expectations as a top-5 player. Despite tough moments against Collins and Alexandrova, she stayed composed and managed two gritty wins. She now has a chance to claim her first clay-court title after falling short in the 2022 Madrid Open final against Ons Jabeur. A win in Charleston could also push her to world No. 3, overtaking Coco Gauff as the top-ranked American. Pegula currently holds 7 titles in 14 finals and is chasing her second WTA 500 trophy.

From an early age, Sofia Kenin looked destined for greatness. At 20, she won her first WTA title, and at 21, she captured her maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open. By the time the WTA Tour paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenin had already collected five titles. Upon the Tour’s return, she reached another Grand Slam final at the French Open. However, injuries disrupted her momentum, and it took several years for her to once again shine on the tour.

Kenin has lost her last three finals, starting with the 2020 French Open defeat to a then-unknown Iga Swiatek, who was claiming her first Slam title. She also fell short in the WTA 500 finals at the San Diego Open (to Barbora Krejcikova) and the Toray Pan Pacific Open (to Zheng Qinwen). Remarkably, 7 of Kenin’s 9 career finals have gone to three sets – a stat that suggests a lengthy battle could be in store against Pegula.

Speaking after reaching the Charleston final, Kenin admitted she has "nothing to lose" against the top-seeded Pegula – although her recent form shows she’s more than capable of beating anyone. She earned convincing wins over Bernarda Pera (6–3, 6–4), Belinda Bencic (6–0, 6–3), Daria Kasatkina (6–3, 7–6), and Anna Kalinskaya (6–4, 6–3). Though she faced a tough semifinal matchup, Amanda Anisimova’s injury meant Kenin spent just 29 minutes on court, progressing after leading 5–2 when Anisimova retired.

Pegula leads their head-to-head 3–2, with their last meeting coming in the second round of the 2024 US Open – a match Pegula won before going on to reach the final. They’ve faced off on clay only once before, at Roland Garros 2021, when Kenin was a top-5 player and Pegula was just breaking into the top 30. Nearly four years later, the roles are reversed.

The Charleston crowd is in for a treat, as for the second straight year, an American will lift the trophy. It will also mark the first time that two different American women have won the title in consecutive years in Charleston since Martina Navratilova (1983) and Chris Evert (1984).