This should be a cracker of a match, with top seed Jesscia Pegula going head-to-head with defending champ Danielle Collins.
2025 WTA Tour
WTA 500
Charleston Open
LTP-Daniel Island, South Carolina, U.S. (Outdoor Hardcourts)
Selected Quarterfinals- 4th-5th April
4th April
Jessica Pegula (1) 0.44 vs Danielle Collins (7) 1.7
Things are starting to look up for 2024 US Open runner-up Jesscia Pegula. She has been in elite form this week, yet to drop a set while improving to 22-6 for the season with her round of 16 win over Ajla Tomljanovic. The consistent American picked up some solid results in the opening few months of the year, finishing runner-up in Adelaide while winning the title in Austin. But she largely faltered on the bigger stages, crashing out early in the Aussie Open before being eliminated by lower ranked opposition at the first three WTA 1000 events. She looked back to her durable best in Miami, reaching a 6th career WTA 1000 final before succumbing to World No.1 Sabalenka in the final. Pegula is yet to win a clay-court title in her career (she perhaps hits the ball too flat to be elite on these surfaces). But she has still picked up some eye-catching results on the sticky stuff, reaching the Madrid final and the French Open quarters. Moreover, she will be looking to reach her 3rd successive Charleston semi.
Meanwhile, Danielle Collins continued her recent Charleston love affair with a 7-5, 6-3 round of 16 win over fellow firebrand Jelena Ostapenko. The American trailed Ostapenko 4-2 in the first set but managed to establish a stranglehold from the back of the court, forcing the Latvian into a litany of errors. Collin now owns an 11-2 record in Charleston, winning her last eight consecutive matches. Collins hasn’t been at her best this year, flattering to deceive since reversing her decision to retire at the end of last season. This will actually be her first quarterfinal appearance of the entire campaign. Collins just seems perfectly suited to this slightly slick green clay. A former French Open quarterfinalist, Collins had her best ever season on clay last year, winning this tournament and finishing runner-up in Strasbourg (her last appearance in a final).
The Verdict: Pegula to win in straight sets at 1.01- Danielle Collins has proven to be Jessica Pegula’s bunny over the years. Pegula leads Collins 5-0 in their head-to-head meetings, with their most recent meeting coming at the 2023 French Open (where Pegula won in straight sets). The issue for Collins is that Pegula is essentially a more consistent version of herself. Pegula- like Collins- hits the ball flat and with depth. But she is far more rally-resistant and doesn’t commit near as many unforced errors. Pegula looks in supreme form while Collins isn’t the same player she was 12 months ago.
