CHARLESTON: Top-seeded Jessica Pegula lost 10 straight games and trailed 4-0 in the final set before rallying on Thursday to reach the Charleston Open quarterfinals.
Pegula, an American ranked No. 3 in the world, led the top four seeds including No. 4 seed and defending champion Belinda Bencic, into the round of eight in the season’s first clay-court tournament.
No match was the equal of Pegula’s fight with Irina-Camelia Begu, who was down 4-0 in the second set and two games away from a quick exit until finding her game.
Begu, the 15th seed, strung together a 10-game win streak to turn things around. Pegula dug in to win the final six game and the exhausting match.
No doubt. Pegula will try to find more consistency against 12th-seeded Paula Badosa, a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Diana Snaider, for a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.
Others moving on with No. 2 seed Ons Jabeur, No. 3 seed Daria Kasatkina and Bencic, who topped Jabeur to win last year’s event on the Charleston’s green clay.
Jabeur topped Caroline Dolehide 6-3, 7-5; Kasatkina defeated Bernarda Pera 6-3, 7-6 (3); and Bencic bounced back after losing to opening set to oust Shelby Rogers 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. Pegula didn’t totally understand how things went so wrong, then turned right again.
Jabeur will take on Anna Kalinskaya, who defeated two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azerenka 6-4, 7-6 (5).
Jabeur, who reached the finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open a season ago, likes where her game early in the run up to Roland Garros next month.
Kasatkina will take on either Magda Linette or past Charleston winner Madison Keys on Friday.
Bencic will face Ekaterina Alexandrova, who defeated Julia Grabher 6-4, 6-2. Agencies
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