Top seed Jessica Pegra survived the tough Test, beating Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2 2-6 7-5 in the semi-finals of the Topsitter Bee Charleston Open on Saturday, and will face compatriot Sophia Kenin in the fourth championship match of the season.
Pegra looked to roll through the match when he won the first five games, but after Alexandrova fought back and the Americans rounded out the line with a good backhand winner, they had to find another level.
Later on Saturday, Kenin moved forward as his opponent Amanda Anisimova retired from injury in the first set.
“It was a tough match,” Pegra told the Tennis Channel.
“It was not the most beautiful thing at times, it was really windy, there were some nasty shots, and we were both very uncomfortable. With some short balls, with some low balls, it was swirling in the wind, so you had to move your feet a lot and just compete.”
After Pegra broke his opponent in the first game with the backhand winner, Alexandrova helped the Americans take another break in the third game with double faults and a clumsy shot that passed the baseline.
They traded breaks in matches 5 and 6, with the 26th Russian improving her form in the second set.
They traded three breaks in the final set, and then Pegra forced her opponent to make an error with breakpoints, closing the 2-hour, 21-minute marathon match with a full backhand in the net in the 11th game.
It was Pegra’s 24th match victory this year, and was the best in the WTA.
Anishimova hoped to build a strong start to this season after finishing a three-year title drought in Doha in February, but quickly derailed in the afternoon with the eighth seed.
As Kaenin took a break in the fourth match, Anishimoba stopped short and began to move around the court to Ginger before seeking Physio with a 30-30 score.
She lay on her back as tournament staff tended to look like hip injuries and tried to continue from there, but she couldn’t continue the fight and retired with Kenin 5-2 on the set.
This is the first time the Charleston Open, North America’s largest women-only tennis tournament, has won the National Finals since 1990.