Top seed and defending champion Jessica Pegula will take on the 7th-seeded Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Charleston Open. After a bye in the first round, Pegula had to open her title defense with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over Yulia Putintseva in the second round, followed by another tricky 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1) win over 14th-seeded Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the third round.
Shnaider also received a first-round bye and began her campaign with a 7-5, 7-5 win over home favorite Katie Volynets in the second round. In the third round, the Russian produced a dominant display against 9th-seeded Leylah Fernandez, winning 6-3, 6-0.
2026 Charleston Open Match Details: Jessica Pegula vs. Diana Shnaider
Date: April 3, 2026
Tournament: Charleston Open 2026
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Credit One Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Surface: Outdoor clay (green)
Category: WTA 500
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN
Pegula vs. Shnaider Head-to-Head History
Pegula has won both her matches against Shnaider, leading the head-to-head 2-0. The last time they played was at the 2024 US Open, where the American won 6-4, 6-2.
Having won 21 of her 25 matches this year, Pegula is having an excellent season, reaching at least the quarterfinals in every event she has played. Her best result came at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai, where she won the title with a win over Elina Svitolina in the final. She also had semifinal runs in Brisbane and the Australian Open, and quarterfinal runs at both Indian Wells and Miami.
Shnaider has a 10-7 win-loss record so far this season, with her best outing a semifinal finish in Adelaide, where she lost to compatriot Mirra Andreeva. The quarterfinal in Charleston is her second-best result of the season, as her results in other events have been underwhelming, including third-round exits at the Australian Open and at the Miami Open, and second-round exits in Indian Wells and Dubai.
Jessica Pegula vs. Diana Shnaider Match Prediction
Pegula has won 68% of her first-serve points, along with a 49% win rate behind her second serve. The American has faced as many as 23 break points on her serve in two matches, 14 of which she has saved, while converting 10 of the 32 break-point opportunities she has created in two matches.
Shnaider has won 53% of her first-serve points, which puts her behind Pegula, but has a slightly better second-serve stat, having won 59% of the points behind that shot. She has saved 5 of the 11 break points on her serve while converting 12 of the 29 break-point opportunities.
More: Jessica Pegula Admits She Misses ‘Fighting’ with Umpires After Losing Emotional Outlet
Pegula’s serve has been vulnerable, and in both matches so far, she has started slowly, losing the first set. Against someone like Shnaider, that could be problematic as the Russian is a higher-caliber player who can use her physicality to cause problems on clay. However, a positive head-to-head and top seeding put Pegula as the favorite to win the upcoming match.
Pick: Pegula to win in three sets.
