Top seed Pegula takes the long road to the third round in Charleston

Jessica Pegula (photo by Daniel Ward)

The featured match tonight in Charleston lasted almost two hours and twenty-seven minutes, but--to observers--it sometimes felt as if it were dragging on even longer. Top seed Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova experienced so many momentum swings that it was difficult to get a read on what was taking place.

Anisimova took the first set 6-3 in a pretty decisive fashion, going up 5-0 before Pegula was able to assert herself. The former world number 25 won that set 6-3, but then had to face a determined top seed. To make her job even harder, she also sustained a back injury. Pegula took that set 6-4. The third set was not unlike the second, in that the momentum swings occurred so frequently. It was also a tense set, in which Anisimova had to keep coming from behind. 

Throughout the match, Pegula was able to flummox her opponent with returns that stayed very low, and she had a consistently excellent read on Anisimova's shot placement. But Anisimova didn't make it easy for her. There was some stunning shot-making on both sides, but there were also a lot of errors. The third set, probably to no one's surprise, went to a tiebreak, which Pegula won. 

Amanda Anisimova (photo by Daniel Ward)

 

Later, at her press conference, Pegula confirmed that she hit as much as she could to Anisimova's forehand because "You don't want to go to her backhand. Her backhand is money. I always say I think she has the best backhand on tour....I don't really want to go there much." 

Pegula also talked about her determination to move her opponent around the court. "When she's set up, it's really tough, and she hits one of the cleanest balls out there and can really overpower you. So you definitely want to try and keep her moving as much as possible."

Also today, 3rd seed Maria Sakkari defeated Victoriya Tomova 6-3, 6-3, and 2016 champion Sloane Stephens defeated Magdalena Frech 6-0, 6-2. And Astra Sharma, who won the 2021 MUSC Health Women's Open 250 in Charleston, won her second round match against Arina Rodionova. Also winning today were Magda Linette, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Caroline Dolehide, Ashton Krueger, and Taylor Townsend. Linette upset 13th seed Dayana Yastremska, and Townsend defeated Sofia Kenin. 

Danielle Collins (photo by Daniel Ward)

 

And then there was Danielle Collins. The newly crowned Miami champion had to face former world number 2 Paula Badosa, who has struggled on and off for months with a back injury. Badosa hit some very fast, powerful serves, which were often returned as fast and as powerfully by Collins, who occasionally left the Spanish star with a "What do I have to do?" expression on her face. Collins, who hit eight aces, won that match 6-1, 6-4. 

Paula Badosa (photo by Daniel Ward)

Finally, when the deejay broke out "Respect" as Jaqueline Cristian upset 2019 champion Madison Keys, it was a really special moment for the Romanian player. Cristian, making her Charleston debut, got the biggest win of her career, and her second top 20 victory. She had already defeated Elena Rybakina, who was ranked nunber 20 in the world at the time, and tonight she beat the world number 18 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Early in the evening, I enjoyed the final part of an interview that Tracy Austin, Alison Riske-Amritraj and Monica Puig did with Ellen Perez, and I stuck around to hear them talk about the singles draw. They all had really good things to say about both Emma Navarro and Danielle Collins, and Riske-Amritraj and Puig talked about their friendships with Collins. Earlier in the day, Riske-Amritraj walked into Collins' press conference and they had a reunion.