By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, April 4, 2025

Blown out in the opening set today, Jessica Pegula wasn't mentally adrift facing the “perfect storm” Danielle Collins unleashed.

Down a set and a break, a resolute Pegula shifted course and countered with a tennis tempest of her own.

Pegula powered through nine straight games dethroning defending champion Collins 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 to sail into her third consecutive Credit One Charleston Open semifinal.



Austin champion Pegula posted her 15th win in her last 17 matches making the smooth transition to the green clay from Miami’s blue hard court where she reached the final at the Miami Open last month.

“I was like, I just need to hold, because she was absolutely tearing apart returns,” Pegula told Tennis Channel’s Steve Weissman afterward. “I just fought to win that game—and keep it one break—I guess that’s all I needed.

“It was tough. The way she was playing. There’s not much you can do.”

The top-seeded Pegula maintained her mastery of compatriot Collins, improving to 6-0 lifetime vs. the former Australian Open finalist.

For the first time in 43 years, five Americans—Collins, Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, Sofia Kenin and home hero Emma Navarro—reached the elite eight in Charleston.

Pegula said she went back to basics—and drew confidence from the fact she was undefeated against Collins.

“She was playing at an insanely high level,” Pegula said. “I don’t think she’s played at such a high level against me. She came out really really quick and I maybe came out a little bit slow.

“So I felt it was the perfect storm to why she went up so quickly. I mean in the back of my head I was like I know I can beat her, I’ve beaten her before. I just need to figure it out and not let myself get frustrated. I need to figure out how to hold my serve and change the placement on my serve a little bit better just to try to take her out of that rhythm…Once I held and kind of put pressure on her, I felt like everything flipped a little bit.”

US Open finalist Pegula will try to fly the flag into her first Charleston final. Next up for Pegula is either Olympic gold medal champion Zheng Qinwen or ninth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova with a spot in Sunday’s final on the line.

Today’s opening quarterfinal was a case of the best of times and worst of times for Collins, who was hitting winners nearly at will in a phenomenal first set. Collins pounced on a 91 mph first serve and swept a forehand return winner scoring her second straight break for 5-1.

A dialed in Collins crushed a forehand drive volley tearing through the opening set in 27 minutes that may well have been her best half hour of tennis of the year.

The world No. 22 carved a sharp backhand return at such an acute angle it nearly dragged her opponent to the side wall. That shot gave Collins the break to start the second set and she confirmed for 2-0.

Never pressing the panic button, Pegula came right back.

Bending low for a fine backhand volley deep in the corner, Pegula broke back in the third game leaving Collins swiping her racquet at the clay in disgust.

The match turned with Pegula up 4-3 in the second set.

Holding game point to level, Collins double faulted it away. When she slapped a shot into the bottom of the net, Pegula broke again for 5-3.

The top seed soared through seven of the last eight minutes to snatch the second set and force a decider.

Collins’ competitive flame blazes brightly when she’s firing with command—as she showed sweeping successive championships in Miami and Charleston last Spring—but a persistent Pegula was so relentless, she snuffed out the fire in the final set as smooth as a woman wiping away a ball mark with the sole of her sneaker.

Pegula not only bageled the defending champion in the decider, she basically beat the desire out of Collins, who rushed through serve games and sprayed her normally lethal return wide and long with some careless misfires.



Both women are flat hitters and aggressive baseliners. In the decider, Pegula played with more precision, desire and showed far greater shot tolerance. It was as if Collins was trying to load up and win two points with one swing.

A shrewd Pegula picked on the Collins’ forehand and drew error after error dispensing the first-ever bagel in this rivalry that has spanned 14 sets.

It was Pegula’s ninth win in her last 11 quarterfinals as she now stands one win away from her fourth final of the season in just eight events played in 2025.