World No.5 Ons Jabeur captured her first title of the season by defeating defending champion Belinda Bencic 7-6(6), 6-4 to win the Credit One Charleston Open on Sunday. The title is the fourth of the Jabeur's career and her second on clay.

Since the start of the 2020 season, Jabeur has now won 37 matches on clay, the most of any player on tour, one more than Iga Swiatek during that span. 

"I've been wanting to win this tournament for a long time," Jabeur said. "People have been amazing to me. So it's nice to have a great memory here in Charleston and this is a pretty good start to the clay season.  

"I'm very excited to go to Paris and celebrate with my family and with my little nephew, who was just born three weeks ago. This is his gift. He doesn't know it, but it's his gift."

Bencic began her Championship Sunday by finishing off a straight-sets win over top seed Jessica Pegula in her rain-suspended semifinal. Up a set but down 4-2 in the second-set tiebreak, Bencic won five of six points to seal a 7-5, 7-6(5) victory to book a rematch of last year's final with Jabeur. There, the Swiss won 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 to win her first clay-court title. 

Highlights: Bencic d. Pegula

How the match was won: With the final getting underway 30 minutes after the completion of the semifinal, Bencic came out of the blocks quickly to lead 5-3 in the first set. Down 5-4, 30-all, Jabeur manufactured her magic. A forehand winner earned her a first break point of the match.

The Tunisian broke with flair, hitting a desperation front-tweener that she followed up with a delicately sliced passing shot to level the set at 5-5. 

The incredible shot that turned the Charleston final around for Jabeur

"I reacted very fast," Jabeur said. "I saw the ball coming at me, so I was like, 'OK, I'm just going to give her one more ball to play, and see.' I'm surprised that she didn't anticipate on the cross, because that's where I usually play my shots.  

"But I think I was lucky and creative with that shot, which was amazing, and it changed up the game a bit for the first set, for sure."

Turning point: Jabeur looked primed to surge her way to the finish line. But after holding to 6-5, Jabeur saw five set points come and go. Bencic gamely dug herself out of a 6-5, 0-40 hole to force a tiebreak. Bencic pulled ahead to earn two set points at 6-4, but a forehand winner from Jabeur skimmed the baseline to save the first and an unreturned first serve saved the second.

Two points later, Jabeur sealed the set on her sixth set point by placing a driven forehand on the outside of the sideline to close out her comeback after 62 minutes. 

Jabeur maintained her momentum early in the second set to build a double-break lead at 4-1. Bencic did well to maintain pressure on Jabeur, breaking once to close the deficit and then earning three break points to level the set as Jabeur served for the match at 5-4. The Tunisian responded coolly, saving all three break points and converting her second match point to seal the win after two hours.

Match stats: Jabeur played an aggressive but clean match to win, hitting 24 winners, including nine aces, to 17 unforced errors. Bencic finished with 36 winners to 31 unforced errors.

Bencic's classy words: "Ons, how you played today was incredible," Bencic said during the trophy ceremony. "I figured at the end of the tiebreak, the way you played, maybe it was meant to be for you this year. You deserve it. I'm very glad you're back, tennis is amazing with you. It's a pain playing against you, but for tennis you are great."

Collins and Krawczyk save match points to win doubles title

Danielle Collins and Desirae Krawczyk saved two match points to defeat top seeds Giuliana Olmos and Ena Shibahara 0-6, 6-4 [14-12] to win the doubles title. The title is the first doubles win of Collins' career and the eighth and first of the season for No.10 Krawczyk. 

Charleston was the first tournament of the season for the all-American duo. In their last pairing, Collins and Krawczyk made the Wimbledon semifinals last summer.