Overview
- Jessica Pegula, who rallied again on Friday, beat Diana Shnaider 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the Credit One Charleston Open semifinals.
- Her serve carried the day with eight aces and no double faults, and she won six straight games after falling behind 0-2 in the third set.
- The semifinals are set with Pegula facing Iva Jovic, while Madison Keys meets Yuliia Starodubtseva after Keys outlasted Belinda Bencic and Starodubtseva made her first tour-level semifinal.
- Pegula is defending 500 ranking points from last year’s title and can boost her live standing with another win, though she has already spent more than seven hours across three deciding-set matches.
- Charleston uses faster green clay that plays quicker than European red clay, which favors first-strike tennis and has amplified the value of strong serving and aggressive hitting this week.