Pegula recalls her victory against Muguruza after her back-to-back titles in Charleston

Pedro de Pablos | 6 Apr 2026 | 07.35

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Jessica Pegula was crowned this Sunday as the champion of the WTA 500 Charleston for the second consecutive year, defeating Yuliia Starodubtseva decisively. However, her love affair with this tournament dates back to 2013, and she has recalled her victory that year against Garbiñe Muguruza to explain why she plays so well here.

In theory, clay courts are the surface that least suits Pegula's game, as she is an expert on fast courts. In fact, the only two tournaments she has won on clay have been in Charleston. Thirteen years ago, Jessica entered the main draw from the qualifying rounds and managed to defeat Garbiñe Muguruza after a three-set battle, marking the beginning of a fairy tale that has been improving chapter by chapter until today.

Jessica Pegula's full press conference after winning the WTA 500 Charleston

Champion for the second consecutive year in Charleston

It's an incredible feeling to have achieved it two times in a row. Honestly, I wasn't thinking too much about the future, about whether I would be able to do it, but now that I'm here, I'm very happy. It's been a lot of hard work; I've been told that I spent 11 hours and 22 minutes on the court, with the doubles matches even more, so here we are.

Decisive victory in the final

I think it has definitely been the best level I've shown. I'm happy to have been able to do it in a final, where I was leading by a set and 5-0, and then she played two really good and slightly longer games, and I thought, 'Okay, I don't want to go back to that situation where I have to struggle to win the match.' So I felt very happy to have been able to win that last game quite convincingly right after all the matches I had to play. It was definitely a great relief, and I'm glad to know that I can go home and relax for a couple of weeks before having to start again. It's great to finish on a high note. You know you don't have to rush to another tournament and can go home. There's no better feeling, really.

Starodubtseva's talent

Yes, especially on clay, she's very good. I think she adapts her game very well, she's very clever. I think maybe she wasn't playing at her best level today, and I was playing at a very high level. But then at the end, it was noticeable that she didn't miss a single ball in a couple of games, and I thought, 'Wow, now she's really going for it.' I think that's probably what caused a lot of trouble for everyone earlier in the week, in their early rounds here. She's a tricky player, definitely very good on clay, and I think, honestly, I just had to execute perfectly what I had to do, and that's more or less what I did today.

If I hadn't played as well, maybe like on other days, or if circumstances had changed, she is definitely a very good player, very talented and with a very good touch. I think she really wants to dominate with her forehand. I think I had to attack her second serve and take some risks, especially on clay. She likes to set up her forehand with the serve, so I wanted to eliminate that pattern as much as possible. I wasn't afraid to hit to her forehand and still wanted to move her, but I managed to corner her in the corners and make her take too many risks.

Her rival's story

Yes. My coach mentioned it to me earlier today. I already knew a little bit about it, but not entirely, and he said, 'What an incredible story!' The fact that she played at Old Dominion and then was coaching tennis for a year without the resources to play, and all those crazy situations... I think it's an incredible story. We have so many incredible stories on the tour, and I think hers is definitely one that people can identify with, cheer for, and support. I thought it would be good to highlight that a bit, not only for her, but for all the stories we have in our sport, which I think is what makes it so great. We can all identify with someone on different levels and become fans, and that's how our sport grows and becomes bigger.

Changes in her game during the match

I think I stayed true to my plan from the beginning. I believe not only did I stick to it, but I was able to execute it. I think even in moments when the match or her level escalated a bit and she played some good points, I was able to immediately go back to what I knew I had to do and not let myself get dragged into her game, and I was able to nip that in the bud every time I felt things starting to change. So, I'm glad I truly trusted my instincts today, and I think that allowed me to win even some of the tight games and helped me secure the sets.

Her love affair with Charleston

I remember playing against Muguruza, it was crazy. That was before, just when she was starting to become Garbiñe, but we were literally in the back courts, and nobody was watching us, which is crazy. I had completely forgotten about that. I have come a long way since then, but this tournament was always, I think, or at least at the beginning of my career, a very important tournament for me. I would get a wild card, and sometimes I still trained here and in this area, and it was one of the WTA tournaments where I had the chance to do well. There's a lot of history here for me, not just from training here but, as you said, from playing this tournament so many times, and now being able to say that I've won it a couple of times in a row and that I've also had very good results in the past.

I think it's one of those tournaments where I always knew I felt very comfortable and could play very good tennis, and I think there are a few weeks throughout the year where you feel that and hope to play well. I've always had that feeling with some of the tournaments I've actually won. I've played good tennis here; the desire to win this tournament has helped me, I suppose, to achieve it and reach the goal. It all started even when I was very young and playing against Garbiñe in the first round on any court.

Last year's trophy

My one from last year is a bit broken. Yes. I think I never told Bob, but somehow it fell off a table inside a suitcase. If it hadn't been in the suitcase, it would have shattered. The truth is, only the top part broke, so I thought, 'Ah, now I have another one! I can put this one and replace it.' It doesn't look so bad because it's only the top part, but it was one of those things that happen in slow motion. I don't know how it didn't break into a thousand pieces. I'll put it next to the other one.

Pegula, on par with other tennis legends in Charleston

I was looking at the stats to see who else had won two years in a row, and I saw Serena Williams. I saw that Evert won it like four times in a row... I'm not sure if I can achieve that, but at least I got it two years in a row, and I can see my name alongside some of those amazing players, and whenever you can be in a statistic with athletes like that, I think it's incredible. It's always fun to see those things, and I saw that Chrissie mentioned me the other day, and I know Tracy has been here a lot, and I've seen her every day. It's something special. Whenever you can enter a statistic with those women, I think you appreciate it and feel happy about it.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Pegula rememora su victoria ante Muguruza tras su bicampeonato en Charleston

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