Danielle Collins stays unbeaten as Jessica Pegula dominates – Quarter-Final clash locked in

Danielle Collins and Jessica Pegula secured straight-set victories to set up a quarter-final clash at the Charleston Open. This marks the second all-American showdown scheduled for Friday in Charleston, with the top seed and defending champion featuring in the marquee match.

The defending champion overcame a tough battle against former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, while Pegula had a much easier path against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic.

An exciting duel was expected between two of the WTA Tour’s most intense personalities: defending champion Danielle Collins (No. 22) and former Roland Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko (No. 25).

Collins showcased her strength in crucial moments on home soil in a closely contested first set, which initially seemed to lean slightly in Ostapenko’s favour. From the very first game, both players created break opportunities, but it was ‘Penko’ who secured the first break in the third game. Ostapenko led 4-2, but Collins fought back, reclaiming the break.

With the score at 4-4, Ostapenko earned another break and served for the set, but Collins responded with three consecutive games—securing two crucial breaks—to take the lead in the match, winning the opener 7-5. Despite trailing in both first- and second-serve points, the American found a way to step up in decisive moments.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with Ostapenko again striking first at 3-2, only for Collins to immediately break back. The American won the final four games in a row, sealing a 7-5, 6-3 victory—her eighth consecutive win in Charleston.

Jessica Pegula had little trouble overwhelming Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic. The top seed once again asserted her dominance and continued her impressive form, now boasting 14 wins in her last 16 matches, following her title run at the ATX Open and a final appearance at the Miami Open last week.

The world No. 4 began with a tough service game, suffering an early break. However, that was virtually the only moment of difficulty for Pegula, as she quickly turned the match around. The American secured two breaks and surged ahead 4-1, winning an astonishing 15 of the last 16 points. Pegula dominated the set, missing several set points on her opponent’s serve before eventually closing it out 6-3. She won an impressive 80% of points on her first serve, while Tomljanovic managed just 33%.

The second set was even more one-sided. Pegula broke twice early to race to a 4-0 lead, leaving Tomljanovic with little chance of a comeback. Although the Australian managed to hold serve a couple of times, she couldn't turn the tide. Jessica Pegula wrapped up another comfortable win in Charleston, defeating Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-2, and is now set to face defending champion Danielle Collins.