Tennis Atlantic

And then there were two. Saturday’s semifinals at the Credit One Charleston Open gave us a three set thriller and a one set retirement.

Jessica Pegula continues to come up big in tight moments. She had more ups and downs yesterday, but advanced to the title match with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova. She admitted in press that she was feeling tired after all of the exciting finishes. “Of course, I’m tired. I was tired yesterday,” she said. “Obviously, the tank is running a little low just emotionally and physically over the long three weeks that I’ve been playing a lot of tennis”.

Kenin advanced 5-2 over Amanda Anisimova in the other semifinal due to retirement. After the match, she acknowledged that while she is fresh, that Pegula “is a machine” and she wouldn’t expect fatigue to factor into the gameplan.

Who are you picking today? We’ve gone from nearly upset-free early rounds to a wilder ride from the Round of 16 onward in Charleston. Pegula is a -165 favorite according to Draftkings. A tired World #4 who played herself into two consecutive finals, or a streaky younger player who is under-appreciated on clay?

Since this is the last prediction of the tournament, let’s go with Kenin. At +135, she’s appreciated by oddsmakers, because she shocked the World with a grand slam title before. She’s a lurker, and this is where the lurker emerges.

—S. Fogleman