She might have some fondness for playing Charleston, despite the narrative around her and Buffalo, she mostly grew up in Hilton Head. But this is her best result at this tournament, so not sure she has any major memories tied to playing here.ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 07, 2023 2:02 am I agree Pegula could have skipped Charleston ..she doesn't need the points..and there are too many, strenuous clay events coming up...Stuttgart, Madrid, Rome ..RG
I suspect she has a sentimental fondness for Charleston, may have played here in her early days? Or for HarTru...
I think it's more likely that this was a good target for results for her when setting her schedule. Clay is not her strongest surface, so this might be her best showing on clay this season outside of perhaps Madrid, where some of the hard court players do better because of the altitude.
I don't expect her to play Stuttgart. I can't say for sure she's never played it, but I can't recall her playing it recently. I think she tends to play Miami, Charleston and then Madrid. Or Miami and then Madrid. And Fed Cup in between.