Top seed Jessica Pegula and former champion Madison Keys both progressed from the first round of the Charleston Open on Wednesday.
Pegula, who is currently ranked third in the WTA world rankings, swept aside Anna Blinkova 6-2, 6-0 in a match that lasted just 65 minutes. Fellow American Keys took 69 minutes to defeat Hailey Baptiste 6-1, 6-2.
For Pegula, the Charleston Open feels familiar due to her days training at the Credit One Tennis Center while growing up on Hilton Head Island; just two hours south of Charleston.
“It was a fun kind of period of my life, like maturing and growing into my career, and, yeah, figuring things out,” Pegula explained. “Ekaterina AlexandrovaSo it was a great time, and I loved everyone here.”
Keys, who won the 2019 Charleston Open, also appeared comfortable, winning all six of her breakpoints against Blinkova. Among the other contenders through to the second round are number three seed Daria Kasatkina, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Paula Badosa, and Irina-Camelia Begu.
