From 6-1, 2-0 down, Jessica Pegula dethrones Danielle Collins in Charleston

Jessica Pegula pulled off an incredible comeback at the Credit One Charleston Open on Friday, rallying from a set and a break down to defeat Danielle Collins, 1-6, 6-3, 6-0.

Top-seeded Pegula trailed Collins, 6-1, 2-0 to start the match, but ultimately reeled off 10 of the final 13 games to dethrone the defending champion in one hour and 44 minutes on Credit One Stadium.

“That was really tough,” a relieved Pegula said on court after the match. “Obviously, she can play well here. She’s defending champion, and she came out just firing. I was not ready for that at all.”

“Luckily, I was able to dig my heels into that second set and play some good tennis.”

Pegula has enjoyed a strong spring, finishing the Sunshine Swing with a runner-up finish at the Miami Open, and the world No. 4 eased into the last eight without dropping a set to book a sixth career meeting with Collins—a player against whom she’d never lost.

Read more: Can Pegula step out of her comfort zone on clay?

Though Collins has not matched the highs she set this time last year, when she won back-to-back titles in Miami and Charleston, the 31-year-old has nonetheless begun rounding into form over the last few weeks, playing eventual Miami Open champion Aryna Sabalenka tough over two sets and knocking out former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets on Thursday.

Collins carried that form for a set and a half against Pegula, roaring through the opening set and claiming a quick break to kick off the second. Two points from a double-break deficit, Pegula narrowly held onto her serve and won a pivotal fourth game to level the set and flip the momentum back on her side.

“I don’t even know if I got fired up,” admitted Pegula, who awaits the winner of the last-eight encounter between No. 3 seed Zheng Qinwen and No. 9 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. “I just got relieved when she missed a couple balls. I was like, ‘Ugh, thank goodness, giving me a chance!’”

The misses soon piled up for Collins, who ended the match with 55 unforced errors against 33 winners. Though Pegula only managed nine winners herself, she stepped up on subsequent return games to convert five break points and run away with the match.

“I tried to mix it up a little bit, throw in some slices and drop shots when I could. Her backhand is probably one of the best on tour, so I was like, ‘Maybe stop hitting to the backhand as much. That would probably help,’” she said, only half-kidding on court with announcer Andrew Krasny.

“That, and just smart serving, because she was returning unbelievably, hitting winner, winner, winner off my serve. I had to figure out a way to get my placement just a bit better.”

One of five American women to reach the quarterfinals, Pegula’s win keeps hopes of an all-American Charleston final alive, with another all-American quarterfinal to come later today between No. 4 seed Emma Navarro and No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova. Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin rounds out the U.S. contingent; she’ll take on No. 14 seed Anna Kalinskaya, who stunned reigning Aussie Open champ Madison Keys yesterday.