Three Americans Led By Pegula Reach Charleston Open Semifinals

Jessica Pegula
Jessica Pegula (photo: Charleston Tennis LLC)

CHARLESTON, S.C./WASHINGTON, April 5, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

With five Americans in the WTA 500 Credit One Charleston Open quarterfinals – the most in 43 years – fans who filled Credit One Stadium on Daniel Island in the South Carolina Lowcountry had plenty of favorites to support on Friday.

The order of play featured a couple of all-American clashes – No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula rallied from a set down to beat defending champion and No. 7 seed Danielle Collins to start the day and, later, No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova fought past No. 4 seed and Charleston favorite Emma Navarro – which bookended a couple of mid-afternoon matches featuring an upset of No. 3 seed Zheng Qinwen of China by No. 9 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia and unseeded Sofia Kenin of the U.S. eliminated No. 14 seed Anna Kalinskaya of Russia.

The quintet of Americans represented the most from the U.S. through to the tournament’s quarterfinal stage since six made the grade in 1982. With two all-American clashes, it meant that it would be the third time in the last 21 years that there would be at least two Americans in the semifinals on Saturday, equaling 2013 and 2024. The last time three Americans reached the semifinals in Charleston was 2003.

Here’s how Friday’s quarterfinal action took shape:

Pegula remains undefeated against defending champ Collins

World No. 4 and top seed Jessica Pegula overcame being a set and a break down and strung together nine straight games to close out her 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory over defending champion and this year’s No. 7 seed Danielle Collins in the first of two all-American matchups. She won 12 of the last 13 games overall.

In the one-hour, 44-minute victory by Pegula, her 23rd triumph of the season – tying World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who won her 23rd when she won the Miami Open title – she hit nine winners, broke Collins’s serve five times in 12 tries and won 59 percent of second-serve return points. Pegula outpointed Collins 75-66 to reach her fourth semifinal of the season and third straight in Charleston. Collins was undone by seven double faults and 55 unforced errors.

During her on-court interview, Pegula said of her opponent: “She came out just firing, and I was just not ready for that at all. Luckily, somehow I was able to dig my heels into that second set and play some good tennis.

“I don’t even know if I got fired up. I just felt a little relieved when she missed a couple of balls – like, thank goodness, give me a chance! I tried to mix it up when I could, throw in some slices and drop shots when I could. Her backhand is one of the best backhands on tour, so I was like, ‘Stop hitting to her backhand as much – that would probably help.’ And smart serving – she was returning unbelievable, just hitting winner, winner, winner off my serve and I had to figure out a way to get my placement a little bit better. She’s such a good returner.”

Later, during her post-match news conference, Pegula added: “It was a really tough match. She was playing at a really high level there for a while and just did my best to only keep it one break and kind of hang in there at the beginning of that second set and luckily was able to turn the match.”

Meanwhile, in her post-match news conference, Collins admitted she wasn’t in a positive mindset today “and it cost me the match.

“I think I’m such a perfectionist, and I think after the first set I just kind of thought she wasn’t playing that well and kind of got lucky, and then the second set I thought, you know, I just didn’t get through those challenging moments and just started questioning what I was doing.”

Alexandrova upsets Zheng, third consecutive straight-set win

In Saturday’s semifinal round, Pegula will face No. 9 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who upset World No. 8 Zheng Qinwen of China, 6-1, 6-4, in an hour and 24 minutes to reach her third WTA Tour semifinal of the season. It will be their fourth career meeting and Alexandrova has won the last two, although Pegula owns a win over the Russian on clay, four years ago in Rome.

The World No. 26 from Russia hit 11 winners and saved all three break points she faced. She took advantage of 30 unforced errors from Zheng and broke her opponent three times in five opportunities. Alexandrova outpointed Zheng 63-46 to reach her second career semifinal in Charleston. It was her third career win over the Chinese No. 1 and all three have come on clay.

A day after taking out No. 6 seed Diana Shnaider of Russia, Alexandrova proved steady and determined in her win over Zheng Friday, which was her third consecutive straight-set triumph of the week.

“Even if in some moments, the score seemed easy, I think every game was pretty close and pretty intense,” Alexandrova said during her on-court interview. “I knew she’s a great server and a great player, and I tried to use every single opportunity that I had. 

“I’m glad with the match today, and I’m so happy to be back here in the semifinals.”

Kenin reaches first clay semifinal since 2020 Roland-Garros

American Sofia Kenin, the only unseeded player to reach the final eight, has been on mission this week in Charleston to rediscover her best tennis. With her 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 14 seed Anna Kalinskaya of Russia, which took just 73 minutes, the 44th-ranked Kenin is through to her first semifinal on clay since 2020 at the French Open.

In her seventh career appearance in Charleston and third quarterfinal of the season, Kenin won with a solid performance that included 24 winners, four breaks of Kalinskaya’s serve and an 81-percent efficiency in winning points on her first serve. She outpointed her opponent 61-48.

“I played well, I’m really happy with the level, and I feel like these matches give me a lot of confidence,” Kenin said during her post-match news conference before heading back on court to play her quarterfinal doubles match with partner Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine against Americans Hailey Baptiste and Caty McNally, who won 7-6 (6), 7-6 (2), in an hour and 48 minutes on Althea Gibson Club Court.

“I’m able to play some great tennis, and very happy with how everything has started on the clay for me. …

“It’s not that easy to get to the quarterfinals in a tournament, so try to make the best out of it, win or lose. Obviously, I hope to win. And, yeah, it’s just another great opportunity tomorrow, and just do my best – and I have the momentum. I’m very confident for tomorrow.”

Anisimova eliminates hometown favorite Navarro

Next for Kenin is Anisimova, who battled through two close and tough sets and pulled out a 7-5, 7-6 (1) victory over Navarro, the hometown favorite, in an hour and 58 minutes in a featured match on Credit One Stadium under the lights Friday evening. The victory advanced Anisimova to her second Charleston Open semifinal – first since 2022 – in her fifth appearance in the Lowcountry.

Anisimova hit 36 winners, overcame 41 unforced errors and converted seven of 13 break points. Navarro countered with 18 winners, made 20 unforced errors and broke Anisimova’s serve six times in 12 attempts. Anisimova outpointed Navarro 85-83 for her third career win over the American No. 4 and it was her 14 victory of the 2025 season.

“Emma is an amazing competitor, an amazing player. I wish this were the final – I feel bad we had to play each other this early on,” Anisimova said during her on-court interview. “She’s been playing great tennis. It’s never easy to play her and she has a great attitude.

“It wasn’t easy but I tried to stop having a negative attitude and focused on every point. I’m happy with the way I was able to play.”

Around the Credit One Charleston Open

• Two-dozen national brands have partnered together to help sponsor the Credit One Charleston Open tournament this year. North America’s largest women’s-only tennis tournament is working with nationally-recognized companies that have enhanced the tournament experience for not only fans attending but also players through their support and activations.

Title sponsor Credit One Bank continues to hold naming rights for the tournament and for the state-of-the-art Credit One Stadium. Returning partners at Premier Level include: Volvo Cars, DXC Technology, Motorola, HarTru, Discover South Carolina, Explore Charleston and Hologic. New partners for this year’s tournament include: La Crema, known for its premium wines, and Ideal Life, a leader in health and wellness solutions.

In total, 25 brands have pledged their support of this year’s Credit One Charleston Open, which has been named the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year for three consecutive years (2022-24).

“We are grateful for the commitments and investment our partners are making in women’s tennis through their support of the Credit One Charleston Open,” said Bob Moran, President of Beemok Sports & Entertainment. “Their dedication not only enriches our tournament but also advances the sport, creating more opportunities for our players and delivering an exceptional experience for fans. This collaborative effort – through long-standing relationships and new ones this year – highlights the strength and appeal of women’s tennis. Together, we are setting a new standard for excellence and engagement in the sport.”

The Credit One Charleston Open annually welcomes 90,000 attendees and more than 100 world-class athletes to the Lowcountry.

• Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk, seeded third, advanced to Sunday’s doubles final with a 1-6, 6-4, 10-7 victory over Diana Shnaider of Russia and Peyton Stearns of the United States, in one hour and 24 minutes Friday evening.

Friday’s Charleston Open results

Saturday’s Charleston Open order of play

By the numbers

With her upset of No. 3 seed Zheng Qinwen, Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia has reached three career semifinals on clay – twice in Charleston, 2022 and 2025.

“Quotable …”

“I think it’s still clay. It’s still not my favorite thing, but this green clay, I don’t know. For me, doesn’t seem it’s as, I don’t know, unpredictable as Red clay because on red clay almost every bounce is different and it’s always something going on. Here, it’s more like hard court, but like slippery, so I feel much better on the green court clay than the red one.”

– No. 9 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, during her post-match news conference Friday, discussing green versus red clay and what works well for her on this surface.

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