WATCH: Jessica Pegula joins Berlin crowd in special celebration as American beats Anna Kalinskaya to win first title since injury comeback

Jessica Pegula ended her title drought of the 2024 WTA Tour with a special triumph at the ecotrans Ladies Open on June 23. The crowd in Berlin joined the American in a special celebration during the trophy presentation ceremony.

Pegula came to the ecotrans Ladies Open after a second-round exit at the Libema Open in the Netherlands. She was seeded No. 4 at the WTA 500 Open in Berlin and received a first-round bye. Pegula faced last year's runner-up Donna Vekic in the second round and ousted the Croat 6-4, 7-5.

The American needed three sets to defeat an in-form Katerina Siniakova in the third round, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3, and got the better of top seed Coco Gauff in a rain-affected semifinal 7-5, 7-6(2). Jessica Pegula was up against Anna Kalinskaya in her first tour-level final of the year and the first grasscourt final of her career.

Breaks were plenty in the first set of the title contest, as both players were broken three times each. In the tiebreaker, Kalinskaya ran the table and won seven points on the trot to take the first set. Pegula returned to the contest in the second set by breaking the Russian twice. Kalinskaya got back into the groove in the third set and had five match points at her disposal but failed to take any.

The deciding set also went into a tiebreaker and this time the World No. 5 was the victor as she converted her first match point and won the match 6-7(0), 6-4, 7-6(3) in two hours and 33 minutes. This was Jessica Pegula's fifth title on the WTA Tour, her maiden on the grass court, and her first since the 2023 Hana Bank Korea Open in Seoul.

Her triumph in Berlin was made even more special as it came after Pegula's return to the tour post a rib injury that forced her to be on the sidelines from early April to early June, during the European clay-court season. The crowd at the Steffi Graf Stadion joined Pegula in celebration after her title win and performed a special celebration during the trophy ceremony.

Jessica Pegula is next scheduled to play at Eastbourne Open 2024

Jessica Pegula

Jessica Pegula would not have time to rest as she is set to play at the WTA 500 Rothesay International in Birmingham, UK, which begins on June 24. The American is the second seed at the tournament and will have a bye in the first round. She will face either compatriot Sloane Stephens or wildcard Emma Raducanu in the second round.

If she does not withdraw, the American will take the court for the third straight week. Pegula played in Birmingham last year as well. She was the third seed and reached the quarterfinals. She defeated Zheng Qinwen and Camila Osorio before losing out the semifinal berth to Coco Gauff.

After Birmingham, the 30-year-old will head to London for the Wimbledon Championships. She advanced to her maiden quarterfinal at the Grasscourt Slam last year, losing to eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova in the last eight.