CHARLESTON, SC – The WTA Tour Presented by Mercedes-Benz season in the South Carolina Lowcountry will conclude on Saturday with the singles and doubles finals at the Charleston Open.
Defending champion Jessica Pegula is back in the final and will face tour-ranked number one Yuliia Starodubtseva, who upset Madison Keys in dramatic fashion in Saturday’s match. In the two-player drama, American duo Desirae Krawczyk and Caty McNally play Anna Bondar and Magdalena Frech.
From the order of play to prize money and championship predictions, here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s finals:
Where are the Charleston Open singles and doubles finals?
Both finals will be held at Credit One Stadium in Charleston. Due to bad weather, the finals have been moved up to Sunday 5th April. The doubles final will be held at 11:00 am (4:00 pm GMT), and the singles will follow, not before 1:00 pm (6:00 pm GMT)
How did each player achieve the championship?
Singles
Pegula
Step one: Say goodbye
Second round: def. Yulia Putintseva 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
The third stage: the final. Elisabetta Cocciaretto 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1)
Finals: def. Diana Schneider 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Semifinals: def. Iva Jovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
Pegula won all of her matches in three straight sets, and spent a total of 599 minutes on court for her singles matches, nearly 10 hours.
Starodubtseva
First step: def. Shuai Zhang 6-3, 6-0
Second round: def. Ekaterine Gorgodze 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
Third round: def. Renata Zarazua 6-1, 6-0
Finals: def. McCartney Kessler 6-4, 6-4
Semifinals: def. Madison Keys 6-1, 6-4
Starodubtseva was originally meant to play in the games, but withdrawal prompted her to enter the big game. It’s been the first week for the Ukrainan, as reaching the semifinals has confirmed that he has completed his best career.
Twice
Krawczyk-McNally
First step: def. Alexa Guarachi-Sophia Kenin 7-6 (3), 6-3
Finals: def. Shaui Zhang-Aleksandra Krunic 6-1, 7-5
Semifinal: the final. Yulia Putintseva-Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Bondar-Frech
First step: def. Leylah Fernandez-Kristina Mladenovic 7-6 (2), 2-6, [11-9]
Finals: def. Nicole Melichar-Martinez-Alexandra Panova 2-6, 7-5, [10-2]
Semifinals: def. Giuliana Olmos-Miyu Kato 6-1, 6-4
What factors and income are at stake?
Charleston was the first independent WTA 500 tournament to offer the same prize money as an independent ATP 500 event, offering a total of $2.5 million in prize money. About $2.3 million was available in player salary money.
Sunday’s singles champion earns $354,345 while the runner-up takes home $218,225. For the two times, the runner-up gets $117,320 while the second-place team enjoys $71,300.
In line with all WTA 5000 events, singles and doubles players in Charleston will earn 500 ranking points in the PIF WTA Rankings and the Race to the WTA Finals in Riyadh. The finalists in each draw add up to 325 points.
In the PIF WTA Rankings, any change in rankings is based on how many points a player has earned this time last year and must defend to enter the tournament. With a win, Pegula can secure all 500 points thanks to recent headlines.
Pegula vs. Starodubtseva preview of the championship
It was two different paths to the final for Pegula and Starodubtseva. For Pegula, he played three team games and was on the court for about 10 hours. Pegula said it well, describing running as “a cat with nine lives.”
However, it is not luck why Pegula is the last. He has been as consistent as ever, reaching at least the quarterfinals in his past nine tour-level events. The American entered his second final of 2026, and won his first final of the season again in Dubai.
“I’ve seen him play a few times, and I know him,” Pegula said. “I’ve seen him, but he seems to like clay. He’s very smart. He played some good lights today. I think a few hours before I think maybe I’ll watch some of his matches and see what he’s done and what he’s been doing here.”
For Starodubtseva, the World No. 89 played more than her status suggests, and she dominated the 2019 Charleston champion and World No. 18 Keys in vertical groups. He was strategic with his court position, often standing back, dealing with Keys’ power before striking with his aggressive shot selection.
This will be their first meeting on the WTA Tour, and Starodubtseva can secure her first five career wins including the Charleston tournament.
“We have been talking about it for almost a year so that I can succeed in the big stages, and sometimes I may not work in the small stages, which I am trying to fix,” Starodubtseva said. “But hopefully I don’t need to play a lot of small stages, I feel like I belong here, and I feel comfortable playing in a big crowd and hearing the noise, I feel like you encourage me and give me motivation to play.”
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