New Delhi, 03 April (H.S.): Top‑seeded and defending champion Jessica Pegula of the United States staged a gritty comeback to defeat Elisabetta Cocciaretto and book her place in the 2026 Charleston Open quarterfinals.

Pegula won the match 1–6, 6–1, 7–6 (7/1), fighting through a tense decider that went to a tiebreak after an hour‑and‑a‑half of intense rallies.

The world No. 5 Pegula claimed this victory just one day after outlasting Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in a grueling, three‑hour‑plus encounter, underlining her resilience on the green clay courts.

This win was especially significant because Cocciaretto had stunned Pegula in the previous year’s Wimbledon, so the American effectively avenged that upset with a hard‑fought comeback on the WTA Tour.

Cocciaretto dominated the opening set, winning 6–1 as Pegula’s first‑serve percentage dropped to around 25 per cent and her service game struggled.

The Italian’s aggressive baseline play quickly put her ahead, leaving Pegula visibly frustrated at the changeovers.

Pegula regrouped in the second set, breaking her opponent’s rhythm and leveling the match 6–1.

In the deciding set, she trailed 1–4 at one stage but mounted a remarkable rally, winning the next three games to level the set at 4–4 and then driving through the tiebreak to clinch it 7–1.

With this victory, Pegula has now squared her recent head‑to‑head narrative with Cocciaretto and kept her title defense alive at the Credit One Charleston Open.

In the quarterfinals, Pegula will face Russia’s Diana Shnaider, who defeated Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6–3, 6–0 to advance. Third‑seeded Belinda Bencic of Switzerland also reached the last eight, rallying to beat Czech player Sara Bejlek 7–6 (7/4), 6–2.

Bencic will now meet American Madison Keys, who eased past Hungary’s Anna Bondar 6–2, 7–5 in her third‑round clash.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar