DANIEL ISLAND, SC–Just four weeks ago, Ambassador Nikki Haley came to Daniel Island to end her presidential campaign. Like political races, tennis tournaments are cruel because only one of the 64 talented professional athletes will find unmitigated success by Sunday afternoon in the singles final. A few of the players took strides to muster on for the top prize after the first day of main draw play here and a few of them packed their bags.
Caroline Wozniacki, a 2011 Charleston champion, summoned some of the form that made her #1 in a 6-0, 6-1 win over McCartney Kessler. She played loose and in-form in the match. Seeded Anhelina Kalinina should be nervous about facing the Great Dane tomorrow in the round of 32.
Viktoriya Tomova, in her tournament debut, gutted out a three set win over Mayer Sherif, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 on Court 3 yesterday. Today, she’ll look for her first ever top 10 victory when she meets Maria Sakkari.
Daria Saville keeps on churning out wins in Charleston and she let out a primal roar on Althea Gibson court as she concluded the campaign of Tamara Korpatsch in a see-saw match with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 result. Elina Svitolina should have her hands full with this one tomorrow..
And congratulations to American Katie Volynets on winning the longest match of the WTA tour so far in this year’s campaign. It took her only three hours and forty-three minutes to overcome Arantxa Rus, 6-2, 6-7(6), 7-6(6). The match was so long it forced organizers to move the doubles match scheduled later on the court to the stadium. Her reward is ignominious with a second round match-up against 10 seed Emma Navarro.
The day session features Danielle Collins, fresh off her Miami title, squaring off against the dangerous Paula Badosa. If Tomova has anything left in the tank from yesterday, her match with Sakkari could be a gem. The night session opens with Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova, followed by Madison Keys and what could be a tough out against Jaqueline Cristian Who’s dropping out today?
Player field highlighted by four Grand Slam champions, six Charleston champions and 10 top 20 players
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Credit One Charleston Open, the largest women’s-only professional tennis tournament in North America, has announced its main draw wild cards ahead of the highly anticipated 52nd event, March 30 – April 7 on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina. The tournament has awarded wild cards to former World No. 1 and 2018 Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki, World No. 13 Beatriz Haddad Maia, Charleston native Shelby Rogers and 2023 Wimbledon girls singles champion Clervie Ngounoue.
“We are excited to have an impressive lineup of wild cards this year, including former World No. 1 and past champion Caroline Wozniacki, Brazil’s Top 20 trailblazer Beatriz Haddad Maia, and the incredibly promising American young talent, Clervie Ngounoue,” said Bob Moran, President of Beemok Sports & Entertainment. “Caroline’s return to the courts in Charleston adds a layer of anticipation and nostalgia for our fans, while Beatriz’s breakthrough performances on the tour last year signal she’s a significant contender. Clervie represents the bright future of tennis at just 17 years old, and we can’t wait to see her compete on this grand stage. Their commitments emphasize our tournament’s reputation as a platform where legends, current champions, and future stars converge, promising a week of exciting tennis action for our fans.”
“Welcoming Shelby Rogers back to the courts at an event that holds special significance for her as a local player, means a great deal to our tournament and our fans,” said Moran. “Shelby’s determination to return to the game she loves is truly inspiring. It’s a moment of pride for us to see her compete in her hometown, and we look forward to supporting her throughout the tournament.”
To round out the field, six players will earn entry into the main draw via qualifying competition beginning March 30.
The 2024 tournament features a deep player field that includes four Grand Slam champions, six former Charleston champions, two former World No. 1’s and 10 top 20 players.
The wild cards join a field that is headlined by World No. 5 and 2023 Montreal champion Jessica Pegula, World No. 6, three-time Grand Slam finalist and 2023 Charleston champion Ons Jabeur and World No. 9 and 2023 Guadalajara champion Maria Sakkari. In addition to Wozniacki, Grand Slam champions Victoria Azarenka, Sofia Kenin and Sloane Stephens have also entered the field.
2011 Charleston champion Wozniacki joins Jabeur (2023), Stephens (2016), Daria Kasatkina (2017), Madison Keys (2019) and Veronika Kudermetova (2021) as one of six former Charleston champions returning in pursuit of a second title on the green clay of the Credit One Stadium in April.
Wild Card Commitments:
Wozniacki formally retired in January 2020 after participating in the Australian Open to start a family. In August 2023, the mother of two made a return to professional tennis in Montreal. Shortly after her comeback, she advanced to the fourth round at the US Open. She has since reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells. She won the 2018 Australian Open and is a two-time US Open finalist. She holds 30 WTA titles, including the Charleston title in 2011. This will be her seventh time competing in the Charleston tournament, where she holds a 20-5 win/loss record. She reached the tournament’s finals in 2019 and 2009, semifinals in 2010 and quarterfinals in 2013 and 2017.
World No. 13 Haddad Maia will compete in Charleston’s main draw for the second time and first since 2018. Her 2023 season included reaching the semifinals of Roland-Garros and Abu Dhabi and quarterfinals of Adelaide, Doha, Stuttgart, Rome and San Diego. She also won her third singles title last year when she captured the WTA Elite Trophy title in Zhuhai. She reached a career high singles and doubles ranking of World No. 10 in 2023.
Charleston native Rogers has recently returned from an injury that has sidelined her since Wimbledon 2023. This will be 10th appearance in the Charleston main draw, where she made the quarterfinals in 2017. Rogers is a two-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist having reached the final eight at the 2020 US Open and 2016 in Roland Garros.
Seventeen year old Ngounoue will compete in Charleston for the first time. She has won three girls’ Grand Slam titles – the 2023 Wimbledon girls’ singles champion title and the girls’ doubles title in 2023 at Roland Garros and 2022 at the Australian Open. She was the ITF’s No. 1 ranked junior in June 2023.
Additionally, Barbora Krejcikova has withdrawn from the tournament due to illness.
The nine-day Credit One Charleston Open showcases a singles draw of 48 players, a qualifying draw of 28 players and a doubles draw of 16 players. The event traditionally hosts more than 90,000 attendees on Daniel Island. The tournament recently released its Fan Hub, which showcases special events, food and beverage options, partner activities and more happening throughout the nine-day tournament.
Charleston Tennis, LLC, which manages Credit One Stadium under a lease from the City of Charleston, renovated and modernized the 20-year-old facility in 2022. The city-owned venue underwent upgrades to enhance the stadium experience for patrons, performers, tennis players and event management, allowing the venue to attract world-class athletes and talent to Daniel Island.
The Credit One Charleston Open has been a pioneer in women’s professional sports since 1973, paving the path for female tennis players to receive equal recognition, respect and pay in the sport. Originally held on Hilton Head Island, the event moved to Charleston in 2001 and is played on Daniel Island at the LTP Daniel Island tennis center, home to the Credit One Stadium.
Daniel Island, SC—Under breezy conditions, eight qualifiers prevailed today to advance to a final tomorrow at the Credit One Charleston Open in Daniel Island, SC. It was so gusty that Argentina’s Paula Ormaechaea aborted her serve 8 times in one game alone.
The only one who had it worse than the ball toss today was Coco Vandeweghe. The former top ten player and highest seeded American in qualifying looked listless as she was routined by the 19-year-old Elvina Kalieva, 6-2, 6-1. Kalieva is a fellow American and will face Louisa Chirico next. Chirico defeated fellow American Sophie Chang, 7-6(5), 6-3. Speaking of straight sets, the first six matches were two and outs.
Canada’s Katherine Sebov had a great March in winning an ITF title in Toronto followed by her first WTA 1000 level match win in Miami. She started the month of April with a win here in Charleston today, 6-2, 6-1 over Gabriela Ce. She’ll look for a spot in the main draw when she takes the court against Francesca Di Lorenzo tomorrow.
Ohio State alum Francesca DiLorenzo pulled off the comeback of the day in outlasting French Open doubles champion Kiki Mladenovic in three, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. DiLorenzo maintained composure in the third set as Mladenovic raced back from 0-4 to nearly level the match before the Frenchwoman’s serve failed her repeatedly.
Fan favorite Sabine Lisicki raced out to a 6-1 first set before closing the second set in a tiebreak, 6-1, 7-6(5) over Yuriko Miyazaki.
The final eight qualifiers will be decided by tomorrow afternoon and will face main draw participants Lauren Davis, Caroline Dolehide, Varvara Gracheva, Xiyu Wang, Sloane Stephens, or one another, as two qualifiers will meet in the first round.
2023 AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPION ENTERS CHARLESTON PLAYER FIELD
World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka joins the Credit One Charleston Open field, now featuring five of the world’s top 10 players
CHARLESTON, S.C. – 2023 Australian Open champion and World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka has committed to compete in the Credit One Charleston Open, the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America. The tournament, which was recently named the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year, is the annual clay season kickoff event on the WTA Hologic Tour. The Charleston Open is set to return to the renovated and modernized Credit One Stadium on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina, April 1 – 9. With the addition of World No. 2 Sabalenka, the tournament’s player field now showcases five of the world’s top 10 players, including World No. 3 Jessica Pegula, World No. 4 Ons Jabeur, World No. 8 Daria Kasatkina and World No. 9 Belinda Bencic.
Sabalenka’s 2023 season has been exceptional thus far. She began the year by winning the Adelaide International 1 and then captured her maiden Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open.
“Aryna’s addition to our player field reinforces an already incredible line-up for April,” said Bob Moran, Tournament Director of the Credit One Charleston Open and President of Charleston Tennis LLC. “She plays consistently strong tennis and is at the top of her game, recently adding Grand Slam champion to her already impressive resume. With a deep player field and a schedule filled with off-court activities, our ticket sales have been going extremely well and we have officially sold out of all tournament ticket packages. We encourage our tennis attendees to purchase their single session tickets in advance for this year’s tournament.”
The 24-year-old has been a mainstay in the WTA’s top 10 rankings since 2019. Her powerful game has propelled her to 12 career WTA singles titles and six WTA doubles titles, including the 2021 Australian Open and 2019 US Open. Her 2022 season included nine quarterfinal or better appearances, with finals in Stuttgart and ‘s-Hertogenbosch and semifinals in Rome, Cincinnati and New York at the US Open. She was also the runner-up at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth.
“I am really looking forward to competing in Charleston again this spring,” said Sabalenka. “I love visiting the city and the fans at the tournament are always so welcoming and fun. I had a great time last year and I’m excited to be back in April to hopefully win this time!”
The 2023 Credit One Charleston Open will be Sabalenka’s third tournament appearance where she holds a 2-2 win/loss record.
CHARLESTON, S.C. – World No. 2 and two-time 2022 Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur has entered the 2023 Credit One Charleston Open, the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America. The WTA 500 tournament, which is the annual clay season kickoff event on the WTA Hologic Tour, will return April 1 – 9, 2023 in the renovated and modernized Credit One Stadium on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina. The Tunisian joins Jessica Pegula, Paula Badosa and past Charleston champions Belinda Bencic, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens in the growing player field for next year’s event.
“Ons has had a sensational season. Not only did she reach our finals in April, but she was a Wimbledon and US Open finalist and captured two titles in 2022,” said Bob Moran, Tournament Director of the Credit One Charleston Open and President of Charleston Tennis LLC. “We have supported Ons throughout her career and our Charleston fans have rallied behind her after her success, not only in the Lowcountry but around the world. Our player commitments going into next year are strong and we will continue to round out our player field and fan experiences for the 2023 Credit One Charleston Open.”
Ons Jabeur, 2019 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)
Jabeur’s current World No. 2 ranking is the highest ever for an African or Arab tennis player. The 28-year-old finished the 2022 season with a win-loss record of 47-17, capturing the Berlin and Madrid titles and reaching the Wimbledon, US Open, Charleston and Rome finals. She also had six quarterfinals berths this season and qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time.
The 2023 Credit One Charleston Open will be Jabeur’s fifth time competing in the field, where she holds a 10-4 win-loss record on Charleston’s green clay. In addition to reaching the tournament’s finals in 2022, she was a semifinalist in 2021. She also made a finals appearance at the 2021 MUSC Health Women’s Open, a one-time WTA Hologic Tour 250 event in Charleston.
“The Credit One Charleston Open is such a great tournament and the crowd support and energy from the stadium is amazing. I really felt them behind me in the final this year and they pushed me to keep going,” said Jabeur. “The players love coming to Charleston and want to do well here. I have played in two Charleston finals now and I’m ready to come back next year and win this event.”
The nine-day Credit One Charleston Open showcases a singles draw of 56 players, a qualifying draw of 32 players and a doubles draw of 16 players. The event traditionally hosts more than 90,000 attendees on Daniel Island. Additional players who have committed to competing in 2023 will be announced in the coming weeks.
Charleston Tennis, LLC, which manages Credit One Stadium under a lease from the City of Charleston, recently renovated and modernized the 20-year-old facility. The city-owned venue underwent upgrades to enhance the stadium experience for patrons, performers, tennis players and event management, allowing the venue to attract world-class athletes and talent to Daniel Island.
The Credit One Charleston Open celebrated its 50th year in 2022. The tournament has been a pioneer in women’s professional sports since 1973, paving the path for female tennis players to receive equal recognition, respect and pay in the sport. Originally held on Hilton Head Island, the event moved to Charleston in 2001 and is played on Daniel Island at the LTP Daniel Island tennis center, home to the Credit One Stadium.
CHARLESTON, S.C. – World No. 5 Jessica Pegula and World No. 8 Paula Badosa have entered the 2023 Credit One Charleston Open, the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America. The WTA 500 tournament, which is the annual clay season kickoff event on the WTA Hologic Tour, is set to return April 1 – 9, 2023 in the renovated and modernized Credit One Stadium on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina. Badosa and Pegula join past Charleston champions Belinda Bencic, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens in the growing player field for next year’s event.
“Having two top 10 players join our field six months before our tournament showcases our dedication to bringing the world’s best competitors to Charleston,” said Bob Moran, Tournament Director of the Credit One Charleston Open and President of Charleston Tennis LLC. “Jessie and Paula have had exceptional 2022 seasons and both are at the top of their game. We are off to a strong start for our 2023 tournament and have more exciting player announcements on the horizon.”
Pegula is currently the only WTA player ranked in the top 10 for both singles and doubles. She reached three Grand Slam singles quarterfinals this season, in Melbourne, Paris and New York, as well as the doubles final in Roland-Garros. In total, she’s had eight quarterfinal or better finishes throughout her 2022 season. In addition to her Grand Slam appearances, she made the finals in Madrid, the semifinals in Miami, Toronto and San Diego and the quarterfinals in Cincinnati.
The American recently qualified for the WTA Finals, the season-ending championships, in both singles and doubles, and is the only player presently competing in dual draws. The 2023 Credit One Charleston Open will be her fifth time appearing in the tournament’s main draw. She was a Charleston doubles quarterfinalist in 2022.
“Charleston is like a second home to me and I can’t wait to be back in April to play the Credit One Charleston Open again,” said Pegula. “I am really proud of the tennis that I’m playing right now and it would be amazing to win a title in a city that holds such a special place in my heart.”
Badosa holds three WTA career singles titles, which includes the 2022 Sydney title and 2021 Belgrade and Indian Wells titles. She was a 2021 Roland-Garros quarterfinalist and has been ranked as high as World No. 2 this season.
In 2022, she was a semifinalist in Stuttgart, San Jose and Indian Wells and a quarterfinalist in Miami, Charleston and San Diego. In addition, she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon and Roland-Garros. The Spaniard will play Charleston for the third time in 2023, where she holds a 6-2 win-loss record.
“Reaching the semifinals in Charleston in 2021 really propelled my career forward,” said Badosa. “I’ve had strong back-to-back seasons and have had great results each year in Charleston. After reaching the semis and quarterfinals, I would love to win there in 2023.”
The nine-day Credit One Charleston Open showcases a singles draw of 56 players, a qualifying draw of 32 players and a doubles draw of 16 players. The event traditionally hosts more than 90,000 attendees on Daniel Island. Additional players who have committed to competing in 2023 will be announced in the coming weeks.
Charleston Tennis, LLC, which manages Credit One Stadium under a lease from the City of Charleston, recently renovated and modernized the 20-year-old facility. The city-owned venue underwent upgrades to enhance the stadium experience for patrons, performers, tennis players and event management, allowing the venue to attract world-class athletes and talent to Daniel Island.
The Credit One Charleston Open celebrated its 50th year in 2022. The tournament has been a pioneer in women’s professional sports since 1973, paving the path for female tennis players to receive equal recognition, respect and pay in the sport. Originally held on Hilton Head Island, the event moved to Charleston in 2001 and is played on Daniel Island at the LTP Daniel Island tennis center, home to the Credit One Stadium.
Tickets for the 2023 tournament will be available on October 27 and can be purchased online at creditonecharlestonopen.com or by calling (843) 856-7900. When purchasing tickets for the 2023 Credit One Charleston Open, patrons will have the option to choose from single session tickets ($25+) and a range of upgraded ticket packages and seat offerings, including the Intro Package ($280), Finale Package ($360), Champions Package ($275) and Tournament Long Package ($600+). Packages provide exclusive and premier views of the court from 100 and 200 level stadium seating, as well as the best value on tickets. In addition, select packages will also offer tennis patrons shaded seating, a new feature as part of the renovated stadium’s Stage House.
About the Credit One Charleston Open: The Credit One Charleston Open is North America’s largest women’s-only tennis tournament. The event, formerly known as the Volvo Car Open, moved to Charleston, S.C., in 2001 from Hilton Head Island, S.C., and celebrated its 50th year in 2022. The Credit One Charleston Open traditionally welcomes more than 90,000 spectators each year. The tournament features a singles draw of 56 players, a qualifying draw of 32 players and a doubles draw of 16 players. In conjunction with Tennis Channel and WTA Media, the Credit One Charleston Open is showcased from the first ball struck in main draw competition to the last ball played in finals, throughout the U.S. and 174 international partners. The tournament receives more than 100 hours of tennis coverage, broadcast live from Charleston across the globe to millions of fans. The tournament is operated by Charleston Tennis, LLC. For more information on the Credit One Charleston Open, visitcreditonecharlestonopen.com, call (843) 856-7900, email info@charlestontennisllc.com, Facebook (Credit One Charleston Open), Twitter (@CharlestonOpen) or Instagram (@CreditOneCharlestonOpen).
Tennis Atlantic 