By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday April 2, 2024
Jessica Pegula rallied from a set down to defeat Amanda Anisimova at the Credit One Open in Charleston.
Photo Source: Elsa/Getty
Former World No.21 Amanda Anisimova is on the comeback trail, but the 22-year-old could not derail top-seeded American Jessica Pegula as she contested her first match since the Australian Open on Tuesday at the Credit One Charleston Open.
It was the Buffalo, NY native who held firm on the green clay of Charleston, notching a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) victory over the current world No.264 to book a third-round clash with Magda Linette of Poland.
Pegula needed two hours and 26 minutes to complete her second career victory over Anisimova in as many attempts.
"It's always a tough one playing Amanda, because she is just a really great ball striker, and she can really take the racquet out of your hands," Pegula said, after surviving the battle. "So you know when she's hot, it's really tough.”
Anisimova dominated the opener, hitting 15 winners to just six from Pegula, but the American stayed calm and eventually found a way to start dictating a bit more to the former Roland-Garros semifinalist.
Pegula broke in the final game of the second set to take it 6-4, then pulled out to a 6-1 lead in the final set tiebreak before converting her third match point of the night.
Pegula, a semifinalist last year at Charleston, improves to 10-5 on the season -- she was most recently a quarterfinalist at the Miami Open, losing to Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
In another all-American clash, 68th-ranked Taylor Townsend defeated Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-3 to set a second-round clash with sixth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Collins Stays Hot
Saturday former World No.7 Danielle Collins was crowned as the Miami Open champion and on Tuesday the current world No.22 was already back in business on the Charleston clay, easing past Paula Badosa 6-1, 6-4 to set a second-round clash with 2023 champion Ons Jabeur.
Collins, who has announced plans to retired and is playing her final season on tour, improved to 17-7 on the season after converting five of her six break opportunities against Badosa.
Maria Sakkari was also victorious on Tuesday in Charleston, the No.3-seeded Greek took out Victoriya Tomova of Bulgaria, 6-3, 6-3, while No.8-seeded Madison Keys fell to Jaqueline Cristian of Romania, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.