Jessica Pegula says what Danielle Collins did in their match in Charleston which she has never done in any of their meetings before

Jessica Pegula had to dig deep to reach her third straight semifinal in Charleston—and it was anything but easy. Facing defending champion Danielle Collins in the quarterfinals, the World No. 4 found herself under intense pressure as Collins stormed through the first set and took an early lead in the second.

Collins looked poised for her first win over Pegula, dominating 6-1, 2-0. But Pegula rallied, turning the match around by winning 10 of the next 13 games to secure a 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory.

Pegula: “I’ve Never Seen Her Play That Well Against Me”

After the match, Pegula admitted she was caught off guard by Collins’ red-hot start.

“She was playing at an insanely high level, which we know she can, but I don’t feel like she’s played that well against me before,” Pegula said.

“She came out really quick, and I came out a bit slow. It was the perfect storm. But in the back of my head, I knew I could beat her—I just had to figure it out.”

Pegula credited her comeback to a shift in tactics and composure. She focused on improving her serve placement and applying pressure on Collins’ service games.

“Once I managed to hold and stay in those rallies, everything flipped a little bit.”

Collins’ Game Unravels After Fast Start

In the first set, Collins was nearly flawless—12 winners to Pegula’s two, and just 9 unforced errors. But her consistency dropped off sharply in the second and third sets. By the end of the match, she had racked up 46 unforced errors and 7 double faults.

Pegula, meanwhile, stayed steady. While she only hit nine winners across the entire match, her defense and variety wore Collins down. Pegula kept her unbeaten record against Collins intact and booked a semifinal spot against Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Holding Serve Was the Key

Reflecting on the turning point, Pegula said:

“I was like, ‘Just hold serve.’ I was in almost all her service games. I knew I was close to breaking—just needed to hang in. She was crushing returns, but once I held, that was all I needed.”

Up Next

Pegula will now face Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Charleston Open semifinals as she continues her quest for the title.