Pegula untouchable at home

Defending champion, world No. 5, 19–4 in 2026 with a title in Dubai and back-to-back quarterfinals at the Sunshine Double. Jessica Pegula is the boss of this tournament, and she arrives in Charleston with the appetite of a player who knows what it feels like to win here. Her record on the Daniel Island green clay is among the best on tour over the past three years, and her late-season form — just two losses in her last thirteen matches — makes her the logical favorite for the entire week, not just for this round.

World No. 72 Yulia Putintseva took out Lulu Sun in the first round in a tight match where she had to save two set points in the tiebreak before closing it out 7–6, 6–2. The Kazakh is a fiery competitor, capable of making matches uncomfortable with her angles and changes of pace, but she has never beaten Pegula: it’s 3–0 for the American on all surfaces, and none of those meetings even went to a deciding set. What’s more, Putintseva hasn’t strung together two consecutive wins since the Australian Open!