Jessica Pegula celebrated the title from Charleston, the first on the slag, with her dog, Maddie

The first one hundred percent American in the Charleston tournament in three decades came back to Jessica Pegula, the main favorite, which had to face a strong assault in the opponent's second set, Sofia Kenin.

The Australian Open 2020 champion had 5-1 in the second part of the match and bought three set balls in the return game. Did not convert and could not obtain another.

On the other side of the fillet, Pegula was employed in a firm recovery race: six games in a row and the multicolored cup arrived in her arms shortly. 6-3, 7-5 was the final score of the duel that lasted slightly under an hour and a half.

Jessica Pegula: “Only now I realized how tired I was” “

It is the first trophy on the slag for Jessie, in the only tour that is played on the green, typical American slag. She climbed a place, until 3, managing to return to the best career position, reached for the first time on October 24, 2022.

“Only now I realized how tired I was,” Pegula told Tennis Channel shortly after the match. “She started playing at a high level, there were some games from which I did not go out, I didn't do a break, I did not keep my service. It was super wind, very harsh conditions. If you were losing your concentration for a fraction of a second or you would not move your feet, everything oscillated so quickly. It was the same for both'she added.

Jessica Pegula in action at Charleston Photo: Imago

“In the second set, I just wanted to make my games, to take my third set,” said Pegula. “I knew I could have a break, too. Honestly, I didn't think I would do it twice, but fortunately, I could play a good tennis,” she concluded.

The list of American players who have triumphed at Charleston is an illustrious one, Rosie Casals, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys and Danielle CollinsJessica being the last addition.

Jessica Pegula and attachment to dogs

She celebrated the triumph with her puppy, an Australian mini shepherd named Maddie, noting on Instagram that “I and Maddie had a great week.” Kim Clijsters, Donna Vekic, Madison Keys, Victoria Azarenka, Coco Gauff, Jennifer Brady, among others, congratulated Jessica.

Over time, Pegula has had several dogs. This year, in February, she signed a partnership with Maev, a company that sells food and food supplements.

Jessica Pegula has signed a partner with a company that produces food and supplements for animal photo: Maev

“I saw with my eyes how much impact the health of a dog has. One of my dogs faced health problems and I tried everything to help him,” she told Sports Illustrated.

Yes, I always liked the dogs! When I was a kid, I always had in mind what dogs I wanted. I would have liked to learn about them and not only, but about animals in general. At one point, I wanted to be a veterinarian – Jessica Pegula

“A few years ago, I even started preparing a single raw food because I knew it was better for them, but it took me long and I couldn't keep up. After I lost a dog, it became even clearer – why would I save on something so important to their general health and longevity?”