Daniel Island, SC–Most top-seeded players–and a Lucky Loser– advanced in the draw on Tuesday at the Charleston Open. Heavy rains in the area today will likely push the start of play to late afternoon, making for a long night of meaningful matches.
In the day session on Tuesday, Sloane Stephens, Danielle Collins and Maria Sakkari won in straight set matches as big favorites on Stadium Court. On the outer courts, Townsend, Dolehide, Krueger and Cocciaretto advanced while 13 seed Dayana Yastremska was upset by Magda Linette in three sets. Lucky Loser Astra Sharma looked flawless in the second set as she beat Arina Rodionova, 6-4, 6-1.
The night session provided the less predictable. Jessica Pegula stayed poised after giving up the first set to Amanda Anisimova before the #1 seed edged her way to victory, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3). Madison Keys has always had a love-hate relationship with this surface and became the highest ranked player to lose in the 2024 Charleston WTA 500 event, and did so before a fueled-up Jaqueline Cristian, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3..
Today’s sessions look to be a concentrated version of the best of the player field, with Caroline Wozniacki, Emma Navarro, Shelby Rogers, Vika Azarenka, Elina Svitolina, Elise Mertens and Beatriz Haddad Maia all scheduled on court. None of the mentioned players will compete against each other today. That’s why Danielle Collins vs. Ons Jabeur is the real prize fight scheduled for tonight. Collins hold the edge in meetings, 2-1, with the players last connection being a 6-2, 6-4 Collins win in Miami in 2022, and also notable was a 2020 victory for the American on the terre battue of Roland Garros over Jabeur.
Player field highlighted by five Grand Slam champions, five Charleston champions and four top 10 players
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Credit One Charleston Open, the largest women’s-only professional tennis tournament in North America, has released its preliminary main draw player field for the 2024 tennis tournament, March 30 – April 7 on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina. The tournament is the clay season kick-off on the Hologic WTA Tour and was recently named the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year for the second consecutive season.
The Credit One Charleston Open preliminary main draw is highlighted by five Grand Slam champions, five Charleston champions and four top 10 players. The field 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, World No. 9 and 2023 Guadalajara champion Maria Sakkari and World No. 10 and 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko. In addition to Ostapenko, Grand Slam champions Victoria Azarenka, Barbora Krejcikova, Sofia Kenin and Sloane Stephens have entered the field.
Jabeur joins Stephens (2016), Daria Kasatkina (2017), Madison Keys (2019) and Veronika Kudermetova (2021) as one of five past Charleston champions returning in pursuit of a second title on the green clay of the Credit One Stadium in April. Charleston native and World No. 23 Emma Navarro, who captured her first WTA title recently in Hobart, will also compete on home soil this year.
“We are very happy with the exceptional quality and depth of our 2024 Charleston player lineup, which showcases an exciting blend of the sport’s elite competitors and emerging young talent,” said Bob Moran, President of Beemok Sports & Entertainment. “From Grand Slam champions to players who have recently won their first WTA title, our field highlights the pinnacle of women’s tennis in Charleston. I can guarantee outstanding matches from start to finish for our attendees and viewers tuning in on Tennis Channel.”
Player field stats include:
Four Top 10 Players: Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari, Jelena Ostapenko
Five Grand Slam Champions: Victoria Azarenka (2012 and 2013 Australian Open), Jelena Ostapenko (2017 Roland Garros), Sloane Stephens (2017 US Open), Sofia Kenin (2020 Australian Open), Barbora Krejcikova (2021 Roland Garros)
Five Charleston Open Champions: Ons Jabeur, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens, Veronika Kudermetova, Daria Kasatkina
Nine American Competitors: Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro, Sloane Stephens, Caroline Dolehide, Sofia Kenin, Danielle Collins, Amanda Anisimova and Ashlyn Krueger
Four additional players will join the main draw via wild card entry, to be announced at a later date. To round out the field, six players will earn entry into the main draw via qualifying competition beginning March 30.
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.
The rain could be the biggest challenge for the singles semifinalists at the Charleston Open on Daniel Island, South Carolina today. Long delays do different things to different players and the conditions could indeed affect the outcomes of these seminal semis.
According to the WTA, Jessica Pegula has never taken a set from defending champion Belinda Bencic, and the American is 0-2 against top 20 players on clay in her career. Meanwhile, Bencic is 3-0 against Pegula (including the Tokyo Olympics) and is on the cusp of becoming the first back-to-back titleholder in Charleston since Serena Williams dominated in 2012-2013.
So why, oh why, is Pegula a favorite in this match with Vegas at -132? The pair have both played seven sets of tennis to get here, with both facing their toughest challenges in the Round of 16, where Pegula stunned Begu and Bencic overcame Rogers. Bencic should not be an underdog of any kind, no matter how slight, over the top seed. The edge is even here, but Bencic is a better bet due to the odds.
The Jabeur-Kasatkina is a slightly different story with Jabeur as a clear favorite to win today (-180). Jabeur hasn’t dropped a set in Chucktown, and in fact, hasn’t even played 6 sets of tennis since Anna Kalinskaya retired at 4-1 in the second set of her quarterfinal match. Kasatkina destroyed Madison Brengle in the second round, before winning very competitive matches against the very competitive Bernarda Pera and Vika Azarenka.
2 seed Jabeur is still looking for her first top 10 win of the season but has taken four in a row from world #8 Kasatkina, and I expect a three set thriller in this one with a slight edge to the Tunisian to play in the final for a second straight year. Kasatkina is still a decent bet at +150, because she will have more than a chance to win.
It’s the first time that a WTA 500 tournament has had all four top seeds in the semifinals in eleven years. That should offer spectators very intriguing matches today, tonight or whenever the rain abates. It’s 57 and drizzly now. Be patient and buckle up.
As temperatures began to heat up at the Credit One Charleston Open on Daniel Island, round of 16 action started the day yesterday with No. 6 seed Victoria Azarenka facing Anna Kalinskaya on Althea Gibson Club Court. Kalinskaya walked away with a two-set victory 6-4, 7-6(5), placing her in the quarterfinals. She will face the No. 2 seed, Ons Jabeur.
Kalinskaya, 11-years Azarenka’s junior, met for the first time in their careers. The youngster was able to best Azarenka in a two-hour tight match.
No. 12 seed Paula Badosa continued her winning ways as she rolled over Diana Shnaider, 6-1, 6-3, in an 82-minute match on Credit One Stadium court to open up Thursday’s round of 16 play at the Credit One Charleston Open.
Badosa had 5 aces on the day winning 83% of her first serve points breaking Shnaider four-times during the match.
Badosa will face No. 1 seed American Jessica Pegula.
No. 2 seed Ons Jabeur bested American Caroline Dolehide 6-3, 7-5 in their first-ever meeting on Thursday afternoon.
In the first set, Jabeur broke out to a 4-1 lead before closing out the first set 6-3. The second set was level until the 11-game before Jabeur broke Dolehide to go up 6-5. She closed out the second set and match holding serve at 7-5.
Jabeur will now face Anna Kalinskaya the quarter final.
After taking the first set 7-5 against Irina Begu, it looked like No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula was lining herself up for a straight set win before the wheels came off after being up 4-0 in the second set.
Begu began to charge back while Pegula’s game went away losing 10-game in a row and the second set 6-4.
Credit One Stadium was watching an upset in the making when Pegula dug in after being down 0-4 in the third set to the 15th seed.
Pegula tied up the match at 4-4, then broke Begu at love before serving out the match 6-4 taking the last eight games in the final set.
Pegula will face No. 12 seed Paula Badosa in a quarterfinal match.
There was no joy in Shelbyville last night as 4 seed Belinda Bencic ended the run of hometown prodigy Shelby Rogers, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
That’s right, all four seeds made the quarterfinals. What kind of WTA alternate reality are we living in here? That’s the first time that’s happened in Charleston in seventeen years. Seven of the remaining players in the quarters are seeded.
Also of note is that three players in the elite eight fly under the blank white flag of nowhere in particular. And despite all of the talk about Pegula and Jabeur, it seems that the likes of Kalinskaya, Alexandrova and Kasatkina are the lurkers and each of them could win the title here.
Wednesday brought big names in big matches to the Charleston Open on Daniel Island, South Carolina as the top four seeds advanced to the round of 16, something slightly rare on the WTA tour.
First up was Jessica Pegula. She arrived late in Charleston, but made up for lost time as she raced past Anna Blinkova, 6-2, 6-0. You could say that as soon as you blinked, it was “ova”.
Pegula played her first match of the year on clay courts and needed just 64 minutes to advance to the third round. The American broke Blinkova twice in the first set, taking it 6-2.
In an uncontested second set, Blinkova only managed to serve 33% on her first serve and 21% on her second serve.
Top seed Pegula plays Irina Begu today. Begu, the 15 seed, dismissed Sofia Kenin in straights yesterday, 6-1, 6-4.
Two seed Ons Jabeur managed Lesia Tsurenko, 6-3, 6-3, to advance to the R16 and face a matchup with wild card surprise Caroline Dolehide.
3 seed Daria Kasatkina also dominated her opponent yesterday, Madison Brengle, 6-2, 6-1, to set up a match against Bernarda Pera.
Canadian Kathrine Sebov displayed high quality effort this week in Charleston. Yesterday, she was no match for 4 seed and defending champion Belinda Bencic as Bencic cruised, 6-0, 6-2. Bencic moves on to Shelbyville.
And in calling it Shelbyville, I mean the Shelby Seed. The native South Carolinian, with her hometown crowd and familiar conditions always means she’s outperforming on the Charleston green clay. Her desire to win this particular title makes her a de facto seed regardless of current ranking on the tour. She launched a comeback bid after losing the first set to Caty McNally, 7-6(4). Never wanting to go down in her own house, Rogers persevered and found ways to win in a 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-1 victory. Should Bencic be upset by Rogers tonight, Shelbyville would go wild.
12 seed Paula Badosa was slow getting out of the gate in her match with Lelyah Ferdandez, going down a break in the first set before clawing her way back to take the first set 7-5. The second set was close between the two battling the heat and each other on center court.
It ended in a tie-break with Badosa coming out on top 8-6 completing the victory 7-5, 7-6(6). Badosa now owns a 3-0 head-to-head match lead and faces Diana Shnaider next.
And not to be overlooked is the legendary Vika Azarenka. The 33-year-old grand slam champion completed her own impressive comeback against Sloane Stephens on Wednesday, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. She is the most dangerous lurker in the field and should be able to handle Anna Kalinskaya in the round of 16.
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.
Semifinals Saturday Arrives at Volvo Car Open with A Surprising Field
In 10 years of covering the WTA Charleston event, I haven’t seen so many upsets over the course of a week. Gone are the days when Serena Williams would come through and pencil in a spot in the final. Even World #1 Ashleigh Barty couldn’t take advantage of the gaping holes in the field as she fell to Paula Badosa yesterday, 6-3, 6-3. A resurgent Sloane Stephens sputtered against Victoria Kudermetova, 6-3, 6-4. After beating #3 seed Petra Kvitova the day before, Danka Kovinic found a way to advance against the plucky and lucky Yulia Putintseva, 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-1. Ons Jabeur (#12) was the highest-seeded player left in the tournament before stunning a sluggish Coco Gauff, 6-3, 6-3.
Danka Kovinic (Credit: Chris Simon, Volvo Car Open)
That sets up four players who have never won a WTA tour level title and yet are this close to taking home the most impressive trophies of their collective careers. If you looked at this field before the tournament began, you’d have plenty of educated guesses on who would hoist the hardware, from Kvitova, Barty, Stephens, Kenin, Muguruza, Keys, Bencic, Mertens or Bertens. But no.
(Credit: Chris Simon, Volvo Car Open)
Instead, you’ve got a semifinal field that could pose for a couple of Charleston qualifying finals just a few years back. Still, you’ve got to believe that Ons Jabeur’s experience and momentum will propel her to a berth in the final when she steps on court against Danka Kovinic later today. She’s a deserved -239 favorite, and even though the unimaginable has already happened this week, the green clay dust of uncertainty will certainly settle today.
The match between Badosa and Kudermetova is a little more unpredictable.
Victoria Kudermetova, (Credit: Chris Simon, Volvo Car Open)
Although the Russian owns a 2-0 head to head against Badosa, the lower-ranked Spaniard has beaten the better players this week and is the tournament’s leader in aces with 24. It’s also Kudermetova’s first semifinal on clay. I’m going with Badosa, a +110 underdog in this match.
The parlay: Jabeur (-239) & Badosa (+110) for a +197 payout
It’s a First @USOpen Round 3 for @Ons_Jabeur After Comeback Win Against Sasnovich Steve Fogleman in Flushing Meadows
Ons Jabeur said that today is her birthday, even though yesterday was the official date. Jabeur was all smiles as she told press that she didn’t like yesterday, so she “changed” her birthday to today and promptly presented herself with a 25th birthday gift in the form of a Round 3 US Open appearance after a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Aliaksandra Sasnovich in New York.
“It’s amazing, I mean, I love it in here. I love a city that is busy, noisy, I love the City that doesn’t sleep. I love playing on these courts.”
Ons Jabeur, 2019 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)
I’m glad that I stayed focused and got the energy to move better in the second and third set and I’m happy to be in the third round.”
Though she appeared in the third round at Roland Garros in 2017, Jabeur said she’s a more mature player now. “I couldn’t realize how I made it to the third round with less experience than now. Now I feel like I know what I’m doing on the courts. I have a great team behind me now.”
Part of that team includes Karim Kammoun, her fitness coach and husband. He planted a very romantic courtside kiss on Jabeur after the win.
“It was a long day yesterday, so it was kind of tough to wake up this morning to get in good shape on the court,” she said. Sasnovich “has a tricky game, she doesn’t give you the same, so I had to adjust my movements,” she continued. “I tried to not play her game, hit, hit, like she likes. Of course, mixing is my specialty so I try to put more pressure on her, and not giving up any points. That helped me when I was down 15-40. It helped me win more games, especially in the second set.”
Ons Jabeur, 2019 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)
The Tunisian took up tennis at 3, and she reflected on her beginnings. “My mother (Samira) wanted to play tennis from a long time ago, and when she became a mom, I was the youngest one, and she took me with her to the club. I started to play a little bit with the small racket.”
“Her love for tennis gave me the opportunity to be here today,” she reflected. Mom’s not in NYC, but could be there on a moment’s notice but there’s one problem: she’s worried about being a jinx for her daughter since Ons has already won twice this week without her.
A more mature Jabeur faces #3 seed Karolina Pliskova in Round 3. The two have never met. An upset could be in the making.
Kudla, Jabeur Among Early Qualifiers on @CincyTennis Sunday; Strycova, Puig Out Steve Fogleman in Mason
It’s easily been some of the loveliest August tennis-watching weather I remember in Cincinnati qualifying, and it’s always reassuring to see jammed stands and practice sessions. Soon the crescendo of the American tour will begin, as the tennis world moves onto New York. That’s a world away from the smell of the chili in Mason and, I’ve said it before, this is America’s U.S. Open. After the Open, the world of tennis shrinks for me. The Challengers, where dozens cheer, kick up in the fall and while there are quality offerings all over the country, there’s something beautiful in the way Cincinnati serves its experience. This moring was no exception.
Denis Kudla had a packed Court 4 of American supporters, and he became the first man to book a trip to the main draw here today with a solid 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory over 20-year-old Aussie Alexei Popyrin. Ons Jabeur was the first women’s qualifier of the day, winning 11 straight games en route to a thrashing of crowd favorite Andrea Petkovic, 6-3, 6-0 in 59 minutes.
Was it a late night out? Monica Puig looked exhausted at the conclusion of yesterday’s qualifying win, and she was not ready to bounce on court this morning as Veronika Kudermetova took full advantage with a 6-2, 6-1 exit for the gold medalist.
Speaking of deer-in-the-headlights, top qualifying seed Barbora Strycova, who played both of her matches on Stadium, went out with a whimper in a 6-2, 6-1 routining at the hands of Rebecca Peterson.
The biggest shock on Day 4 at the Eastbourne International was British women’s number one, Johanna Konta, beaten by world no. 62, Ons Jabeur in straight sets 6-3 6-2.
After the match, Konta analysed her match and said: “Well, to be honest, I mean, I think I just played an opponent who played very well today. I didn’t feel like I actually did too much wrong. Actually, I don’t think I did anything wrong. There is very few things I could have tried differently or more of, but to be honest, I actually thought I did quite well in the amount of questions I asked my opponent today, and she just was answering them every time.”
“It’s just she played incredibly well. She was able to get back balls from different positions of the court and hit winners from different positions of the court. Any changes of rhythm that I actually tried to give, yeah, she was just able to find her range and find her game from any balls that I gave her, which obviously makes it quite difficult for me not to be able to kind of put her on the back foot at all.”
When asked about whether she tried to change anything strategically in the game, Konta said: “I tried to obviously sometimes slow down the balls a bit because I know she absorbs pace very well. And then I tried to speed it up, because I tried to get at it that way. I tried to sometimes go through the middle a bit more. She was moving around the ball quite well. So then I tried to move it out wide.”
“She was moving well out wide (smiling). So then I tried to use slower slices. I tried to use faster slices. I actually thought I varied my serve quite well. I went through pretty much every serve I can hit.”
On the men’s side, the top two seeds were eliminated. America’s Taylor Fritz defeated the number one seed, Guido Pella in three close sets, 6-4 3-6 6-4. Also, the number two seed Laslo Djere was eliminated by qualifier Thomas Fabbiano in two tiebreak sets 7-6 7-6.
Looking ahead to Thursday, the marquee match on the women’s side will be former world no. 1 Simona Halep taking on defending Wimbledon champion, Angelique Kerber.
On the men’s side, it is the battle of the Brits, as British no.1 Kyle Edmund playing against his compatriot Dan Evans.
Edmund commented about his upcoming Evans match “He’s seeing the ball well. It’s another opportunity for me just in the match itself, forgetting about Dan… I just gotta get out there and play my best, really. Last few days I have been in a good place playing. I liked how I transferred that to the match court today. Hopefully I can keep improving.”
“Dan’s game is obviously, backhand probably 75% is slicing or something. I think there will be a bit more longer rallies with Dan because he slows up the ball a lot more.”
Tennis Atlantic 