MUSC Health Women's Open

Clara Tauson Kicks Off MUSC Health Women’s Open With a Win

Clara Tauson is your first winner at the MUSC Health Women’s Open, a WTA 250 event in Charleston. The 18-year-old Danish player took a tumble in the second set of her first round match against Liudmila Samsonova today, but came back after a medical timeout to take the match, 6-3, 6-3. Over the course of five break points, Samsonova was unable to save a single one. With the win, Tauson’s a solid 22-4 in matches this year, having won her first title in Lyon just last month.

The left knee “wasn’t good in the match but I think the adrenaline took some of the pain,” she told me after the match. “Right now, I can walk fine so I hope it’s going to be fine. I hope maybe I can get a day off tomorrow, just to feel it on court. It looked in the match that it was worse to walk than it was to play in the match.”

Tauson will face either Renata Zarazua of Mexico or Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round of this event.

—S. Fogleman

Photo Credit: Chris Simon, Volvo Car Open

Kudermetova, Kovinic Look For Big Hardware Today in Unlikely Volvo Car Open Final Matchup

Nobody asked me, but yesterday I tipped the two losers of the semifinals matches. Ons Jabeur looked horrible on court after a strong week and Danka Kovinic took full advantage in route to a 6-3, 6-2 upset. No one should bet against Veronika Kudermetova today after another dominant outing, this time a 5th straight straight sets win for the Russian. In fact, those 10 straight sets sets up another milestone: she could be the first woman since Serena Williams in 2012 to win this WTA 500 event without dropping a set.

Nobody asked me, but this final feels like it should be played next Sunday as the showcase showdown for the MUSC Health Women’s Open, the WTA 250 event already underway. That said, it wouldn’t surprise me if next Sunday’s final finds higher-ranked players vying for the trophy than the Volvo Car Open. Ons Jabeur, Magda Linette, Shelby Rogers and Alize Cornet are your top four seeds and it may be time for them to shine. But hey, unseeded Danka Kovinic is in the mix as well as Clara Tauson, so buckle up, Charleston.

Nobody asked me, but the Althea Gibson Stadium Court has never looked better. The fanless event allowed tournament organizers to use more of the real estate for flowers and video boards. With no spectator sightlines to interrupt, the look on television was a gorgeous one. It made up for the all day barrage of 18-wheelers making noise on the I-526 bridge right above the north end of the stadium.

Nobody asked me, but if I lived in Charleston, I might have had to feign car trouble a few times on that bridge last week just to catch a few sets.

Nobody asked me, but if I had to pick the winner today, it’d be hard to bet against Kudermetova. So there’s your opening, Danka. This whole week has been filled with opposite days.