WTA Rematch: Jabeur vs. Bencic for Charleston title
Jessica Pegula returns a shot to Belinda Bencic, of Switzerland, during semifinal action at the Charleston Open tennis tournament in Charleston, S.C., Saturday, April 8, 2023. Credit: AP/Mic Smith
CHARLESTON, S.C. — It will be a rematch at the Charleston Open final after defending champion Belinda Bencic closed out a rain-delayed semifinal on Sunday with a 7-5, 7-6 (5) victory over top-seeded Jessica Pagula.
The fourth-seeded Bencic will face her championship opponent from a year ago in second-seeded Ons Jabeur, who advanced Saturday with a win over third-seeded Daria Kasatkina in a match that had a rain delay of 3 1/2 hours.
Pegula lost the first set but was up 4-2 in the second-set tiebreak when the match was halted Saturday night. The American, who is ranked third in the world, won the first point after play resumed before Bencic, who is from Switzerland, won the next five to move into the final with her 10th straight victory in Charleston.
That run of success includes a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Jabeur, who is from Tunisia, in this event last season.
Pegula and Bencic resumed their match on a chilly day when spectators wore heavy coats and scarves instead of shorts and T-shirts.
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