Pick details
WTA Charleston Prediction: Jessica Pegula vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto
01:00 PM EDT
The Line: Betting Odds: Jessica Pegula -400 / Elisabetta Cocciaretto +260
Jessica Pegula vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto Preview
Jessica Pegula won the longest match of her career in the opening round of the 2026 WTA Charleston Open. Pegula survived a stern test from a valiant Yulia Putintseva in a three-hour, 10-minute match on Wednesday afternoon. Putintseva saved numerous break points in the first set and deservedly took the lead when she broke Pegula in the final game of the set to win it 6-4.The match was full of many thrilling points and Putintseva pulled off some exquisite shots during the contest and Pegula was far from comfortable all afternoon. Eventually, Pegula’s power hit through the Kazakh late in the second set and she got the decisive break for 5-3. The American made no mistake when she served to level the match.
Putintseva led briefly at the start of the third set, but that lead was quickly erased. Pegula needed two attempts to serve for the match and she did so successfully on her second try to win the decider 7-5. Pegula saved an astonishing 13 of 19 break points in the match.
Elisabetta Cocciaretto had a much more routine opening match against China’s World No. 121 Yue Yuan. Cocciaretto was flawless in the opening set, where she did not lose a single game and wrapped up the set 6-0 in 26 minutes. The second set looked on course to end the same way as the first. Cocciaretto broke serve twice and led 4-0. But Yuan was determined to put some respect on the scoreboard and she did by winning five games in a row.
However, Cocciaretto regained her composure and won the final two games of the match to complete a straight-sets victory in under two hours. The Italian won 81% of first serve points (30/37) and saved one of three break points in the match.
Jessica Pegula vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto Head-To-Head
Pegula and Cocciaretto have played twice and both meetings happened at Wimbledon. Pegula won their first in 2023 edition 6-4, 6-0, but it was the Italian who stunned the world in the first round of last year’s Championships when she knocked out the American 6-2, 6-3. This will be their first meeting on clay which is Cocciaretto’s natural surface.Jessica Pegula vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto Prediction
I think this match has the makings of an upset. Pegula is coming off a physically brutal three-hour match against Putintseva, where she was forced to chase down almost every ball. She does possess a near-perfect three-set record this season, but clay is her least comfortable surface, and the mileage from her opening match might eventually catch up to her. If Pegula is even half a step slower, Cocciaretto has a real shot to clip the defending champion.
Nur Said's Pick: Elisabetta Cocciaretto in three sets
