Jessica Pegula says Carlos Alcaraz revived a shot she’s now adding to her game

Jessica Pegula has advanced at the Charleston Open, but it didn’t come easily against Yulia Putintseva.

The defending champion and top seed at the WTA 500 event needed three hours and 10 minutes to pull through.

The 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win was a milestone for Pegula, who notched the longest tour-level victory of her career in the process.

It was an impressive return to clay for Pegula, who will now face Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the round of 16 at the Charleston Open.

Speaking before that match, she opened up about what she’s been focusing on in training to follow in Alcaraz’s footsteps.

Jessica Pegula Looking to Bring Alcaraz’s Drop Shot to Her Own Game

Pegula was asked on The Big T Podcast which part of her game gets the biggest lift on clay. She didn’t hesitate, responding: “The drop shot.”

“I practice it quite a bit!” she added. “The backhand drop shot has always been easier for me, but the forehand – I feel like Alcaraz has brought back the forehand drop shot.

“Now I feel like Aryna [Sabalenka] does that quite a bit. I am working on that one. I was trying to work on it today. It’s not as good as the backhand but we’ll see if it comes around.”

That particular skill is one Alcaraz has made his own, and fellow pro Jannik Sinner is among those who believe he uses it better than anyone else in the men’s game.

Aryna Sabalenka has also worked that same shot into her own style of play, and Pegula is hoping to do exactly the same.

Jessica Pegula faced a tough clay-court comeback

Pegula will keep working on her drop shot, but she doesn’t need to worry about her ability to outlast opponents. The American is now 7-1 in deciding sets in 2026 and has gone 16-4 since the 2025 US Open.

That’s a valuable edge to have when matches go long, and it speaks to both her physical and mental strength.

Speaking about her Charleston opener, Pegula said: “Not a lot of words. All I could think was, ‘Welcome to clay-court season.’

“Oh my God, it’s my first match on clay. Kudos to Yulia. She’s a really tricky opponent, especially on clay.

“She can be really crafty, use high balls, low balls, slices, drop shots, and I felt like she was just honestly toying with me there for quite a while.

“I’m not really sure how I found my way back. In the third, there were so many back-and-forth moments as well.”

Pegula doesn’t have much time before her next match in Charleston either. Her opponent Cocciaretto should also be relatively fresh after beating Yue Yuan 6-0, 7-5.

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