DANIEL ISLAND, SC—Six qualifiers seized their spots in the main draw at the Charleston Open yesterday ahead of the beginning of play today at 11:00 a.m. The marquis matchup saw Daria Saville advance over Heather Watson, 6-3, 6-2. The Australian will face Tamara Korpatsch in Round 1 in what is a favorable draw for Saville. Should she advance, she will become Elina Svitolina’s first opponent of the 2024 Charleston campaign.
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Gabriela Lee mastered Astra Sharma on Court 3 yesterday afternoon in another match that involved improved play by the opponent in the second set. With the 6-2, 6-3 win behind her, Lee will rest up for a match against 19-year-old Ashlyn Kruger tomorrow.
Top qualifying seed Varvara Gracheva did her part to justify by top billing by handling Usue Arconada, 6-2, 6-4, in a match that felt closer than the scoreline. Gracheva doesn’t get a day off–she’ll take on wild card Clervie Ngounoue tonight on Stadium Court.
Also pulling through qualifying was Katie Volynets with a three set comeback win and a date against Arantxa Rus, and Claire Liu with her own three set comeback over Linda Fruhvirtova, setting up a match between the young American and Shelby Rogers tonight. Sachia Vickery thought she’d taken down compatriot McCartney Kessler in qualifying, but they’re both still playing. Vickery moves on to meet Jaqueline Cristian, while lucky loser Kessler faces Caroline Wozniacki on stadium court for what is arguably the match of the day.
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.
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.
Daniel Island, S.C.—After rain forced last night’s prime-time sessions off the court, there was a lot of playing to do at the Credit One Charleston Open in Charleston today. Sofia Kenin and Aliaksandra Sasnovich resumed their aborted match,with Kenin holding a 3-0 third set lead. She quickly capitalized on the lead and made short work of Sasnovich on Stadium court, 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-1. 15 seed Irina Begu awaits Kenin in the next match.
Leylah Fernandez was a force to be reckoned with today on Althea Gibson court and dominated her first round match against Evgeniya Rodina, 6-3, 6-2 in 74 minutes. She’ll face Paula Badosa in round 2, who earlier defeated Mayer Sharif on Stadium court, 6-3, 6-1. Badosa noted that she had a little extra time since being bounced early at the Miami Open. “I had a lot of days from Miami to come here to practice,” Badosa said, half-jokingly. “I really worked very hard. I’m playing well, I think.”
Caty McNally was another straight sets winner today. She enjoyed the pro-American crowd and cruised to a 6-4, 6-1 win over Julie Niemeier of Germany. She’ll meet up with hometown favorite Shelby Rogers on Thursday. Rogers overcame Danielle Collins in three sets, 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-1. No one beats Shelby in the first round on Stadium court in Charleston.
There might be no one as cool and calm in Charleston as Hailey Baptiste right now. The qualifying alternate leaped head first into the final 32 here with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Xiyu Wang on Court 3. Baptiste draws Madison Keys in the second round as Keys was a winner against Emma Navarro, 6-4, 6-3.
Varvara Gracheva eased past Anna Lena Friedsam of Germany today in the first set before taking full control of the match in the second set, 7-6(3), 6-2. Gracheva is always a dangerous threat in the draw and I will pick her to upset Magda Linette in the second round.
Charleston fans were treated to the return of Sabine Lisicki over the weekend in qualifying. Today, her 2023 run ended at the hands of American Caroline Dolehide. Before the rain, the match was scheduled to be played on a packed Stadium court last night, which might have been an advantage for the former Wimbledon finalist. Instead, it was played on a sparsely attended outer court in the middle of the day, a locale that Dolehide knows all too well. Lisicki never found her rhythm, finding herself in early holes in each set. She rallied in each but fell short in both sets and exited the tournament with a 6-4, 6-4 loss to the American. Dolehide will play 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova next.
Ten Americans Among Wild Card Recipients for Western & Southern Open Qualifying
The Queen City. Borough of Queens. Fuhgeddaboutit!
CINCINNATI (AUGUST 7, 2020) – The Western & Southern Open has awarded 11 wild cards to its qualifying field, with 10 Americans – including one Cincinnatian – among the recipients.
The five men and six women round out the 48-player qualifying fields. Two rounds of qualifying matches will be held Aug. 20-21, with a dozen women and 12 men joining the main draws, which will begin Aug. 22. All tournament action will take place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
Cincinnati native JJ Wolf, who played at Ohio State, will be joined in ATP Tour qualifying by Sebastian Korda, Mackenzie McDonald, Michael Mmoh and Brandon Nakashima. Ohio State standout Francesca Di Lorenzo joins the WTA qualifying field along with CiCi Bellis, Anna Kalinskaya, Ann Li, Shelby Rogers and Katie Volynets.
Wolf owns four career Challenger titles and has been victorious in three of his last five events dating back to last season. He was 14-2 with two titles during the first two months of this year before play was suspended due to the pandemic. Wolf turned pro in 2019 after going 35-2 and earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors as a junior at Ohio State University. A graduate of Cincinnati Country Day, the 21-year-old will play Western & Southern Open qualifying for the third time in his career.
Sebastian Korda, 2018 AO Boy’s Champion
Korda is a 20-year-old Floridian who reached a pair of Challenger finals last season. In 2018, he was the Australian Open junior champion. His father, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open and was a two-time Western & Southern Open quarterfinalist (1992, 98).
Mackenzie McDonald, 2018 Citi Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)
McDonald, who owns a pair of Challenger titles, posted his best ATP result in early 2019 with a semifinal in Delray Beach. His season was then cut short due to a hamstring injury which kept him out of action until the start of the 2020 campaign. The former UCLA Bruin was the nation’s No. 1 collegiate player in 2016, a season he capped by winning the NCAA Singles and Doubles titles. Before enrolling at UCLA, McDonald became the third unranked player to qualify for an ATP Masters 1000 when he did so at the 2013 Western & Southern Open. This year the 25-year-old Californian is seeking his third main draw appearance at the tournament.
Mmoh owns five career Challenger titles, including last fall in Knoxville after he missed four months earlier in 2019 with injury. The 22-year-old Florida resident suffered the injury after a 2018 campaign that included quarterfinals at ATP events in Brisbane and Los Cabos along with a pair of Challenger titles. He was the USTA Boy’s 18s National Championship winner in 2016.
Nakashima burst onto the pro scene in February with a run to the quarterfinals at Delray Beach in his ATP debut. He has reached the semifinals at three ATP Challenger Tour events since turning professional in the summer of 2019. The 19-year-old Californian was named ACC Freshman of the Year last year while playing for the University of Virginia.
Di Lorenzo was a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year and won an NCAA doubles championship during her career at Ohio State. As a professional, she has reached the second round at the US Open in each of the past two seasons. Born in Pittsburgh, the 23-year-old Di Lorenzo was raised in Columbus, Ohio. Her sister, Cristina, was a two-time All Big East honoree while playing tennis at Xavier University.
Cici Bellis
Bellis has reached the third round at three of the four Majors, most recently at this year’s Australian Open. The 21-year-old Californian is working her way back after undergoing four surgeries in 2018-19 on her right arm. The 2014 USTA Girl’s 18s National Champion, Bellis finished that year as the No. 1 ranked junior in the world.
Kalinskaya is a seven-time winner on the ITF Circuit. In the second half of 2019, she posted her best career WTA results with a semifinal at Washington, D.C., and a quarterfinal at Tashkent. The 21-year-old Russian’s parents were both professional badminton players.
Li reached five finals while posting more than 40 match wins on the ITF Circuit in 2019. Early this season she made her Grand Slam tournament debut as a qualifier at the Australian Open. In 2017, she finished as runner-up in the Wimbledon Girls’ Championship. The 20-year-old Pennsylvania native owns two career ITF Circuit titles.
Shelby Rogers, 2017 Volvo Car Open (Photo: Tony Callaio, Tennis Atlantic)
Rogers has twice been a finalist at WTA events. The South Carolina native claimed her sixth career ITF Circuit title earlier this year in Midland, Michigan. A quarterfinalist at the 2016 French Open, Rogers battled knee injuries before undergoing an operation in 2018 that sidelined for over one year. As a junior, she was the 2010 USTA Girl’s 18s National Champion.
Volynets won the 2019 USTA Girl’s 18s National Championship and in doing so, earned a wild card into the US Open where she faced eventual champion Bianca Andreescu in the opening round. The 18-year-old Californian closed the 2019 season by reaching her first ITF Circuit final. As a junior, she reached the 2017 US Open quarterfinals.
HOMECOMING FOR CHARLESTON’S SHELBY ROGERS AT 2018 VOLVO CAR OPEN
Shelby Rogers (Photo: Craig Glover)
DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. – Charleston native Shelby Rogers will return to her hometown to play in the 2018 Volvo Car Open. She joins Caroline Garcia, Johanna Konta, Sloane Stephens, Petra Kvitová, Madison Keys, Daria Kasatkina and CiCi Bellis in the field. The Volvo Car Open will take place March 31 – April 8, 2018 on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina.
The 25-year-old Rogers grew up in Charleston, where she trained at the Family Circle Tennis Center and participated in the ball crew program for the Volvo Car Open. A now infamous photo features a seven-year-old Rogers handing 2001 Charleston champion Jennifer Capriati her winning flowers as part of her official ball crew duties.
Shelby Rogers, 2017 Volvo Car Open (Photo: Tony Callaio, Tennis Atlantic)
In 2010, Rogers made her debut in the Volvo Car Open tournament when she competed in its qualifying rounds. This year will mark her tenth time competing in front of her loyal, hometown crowd.
“I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to compete each year in the Volvo Car Open,” said Rogers. “The support I feel from the fans is truly incredible. I wouldn’t miss coming to Charleston and playing in this tournament for the world!”
Shelby Rogers, 2017 Volvo Car Open (Photo: Tony Callaio, Tennis Atlantic)
The 2017 Volvo Car Open was a ‘Cinderella moment’ for Rogers, where she competed in four main draw matches in the tournament – three of which were decided in three sets. It was the first time Rogers reached the quarterfinals in the tournament.
“We always enjoy having Shelby return home to compete in the Volvo Car Open,” said Eleanor Adams, Volvo Car Open Tournament Manager. “We have had the joy of watching her grow up on our courts, and develop into a top player on the tour. After last year’s run into our quarterfinals, we could feel the energy in the stadium from Shelby’s loving Charleston fanbase, and look forward to seeing the support again in April.”
This past season Rogers also reached the quarterfinals in Hobart and Strasbourg.
In August, Rogers defeated Daria Gavrilova at the U.S. Open in the longest women’s single match in the tournament’s history. The record-breaking three hours and 33 minutes featured a 90-minute final set.
Shelby Rogers (Photo: Tony Callaio, Tennis Atlantic)
Shelby Rogers Defeats Daria Gavrilova in Longest-Ever US Open Women’s Match
August 31, 2017 — Shelby Rogers, of Charleston, S.C., defeated 25th-seeded Daria Gavrilova, of Australia, 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(5), in a second-round match that took 3 hours, 33 minutes, setting a record for the longest women’s match in US Open history.
Shelby Rogers, 2017 Volvo Car Open (Photo: Tony Callaio, Tennis Atlantic)
The previous record was 3 hours, 23 minutes, set when Johanna Konta defeated Garbine Muguruza in the 2015 second round, 7-6, 6-7, 6-2.
A 24-year old currently ranked No. 62, Rogers — whose best result at a Grand Slam came by reaching the quarterfinals at the 2016 French Open — will play fourth-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in the third round.
Veterans vs. Teens: Game On at @VolvoCarOpen Semifinals Tony Callaio, Tennis Atlantic
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (Photo: Tony Callaio)
From 16 seeds down to one as another day of upsets continued on the clay courts at the Volvo Car Open on Day 5.
Windy conditions again hampered play as two teenagers and two veterans emerged to make it into the semi-finals on Saturday. Eleventh seed Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, the 35-year old veteran, continues to have a resurgence in her career as she overcame local hometown favorite Shelby Rogers 6-7(7), 6-1, 6-1. Rogers grew up playing on the same courts she battled Lucic-Baroni in the quarterfinals.
Rogers played even with Lucic-Baroni as she took the first set in a tiebreak. “I thought I played really well in the first set, was super patient, kind of weathering the storm,” Rogers said. In post match press, Rogers said she pulled an abdominal muscle the night before against Naomi Osaka.
Lucic-Baroni took over in the second and third sets getting stronger as the match went on. “I really didn’t focus much on her,” Lucic-Baroni said. “I stepped it up a lot and I got really mad at myself after losing that set because I felt like I was there.”
Jelena Ostapenko (Photo: Tony Callaio)
The upset of the day happened when 19-year old Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, ranked 66 in the World, took out the highest seed left, No. 5 Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-4. Ostapenko, making her first trip to Charleston had 40 winners against 26 unforced errors.
“Yeah, I was trying to no make so many unforced errors and still stay aggressive,” Ostapenko said. “That’s the way I play usually and yeah, I think I served pretty well today.”
Laura Siegemund (Photo: Tony Callaio)
Germany’s Laura Siegemund continued her hot streak at Charleston by taking out Latvian Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 6-4 in difficult conditions catapulting her into the semis.
Daria Kasatkina (Photo: Tony Callaio)
Nineteen-year old Daria Kasatkina took out the 10th seed Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania 6-4, 6-1.
Semi-final action beings on Stadium court at 1 p.m. where Kasatkina will face Siegmund followed by Lucic-Baroni and Ostapenko.
RESULTS – APRIL 7, 2017 Women’s
Singles – Quarterfinals
J. Ostapenko (LAT) d [5] C. Wozniacki (DEN) 62 64
L. Siegemund (GER) d [8] A. Sevastova (LAT) 62 64
D. Kasatkina (RUS) d [10] I. Begu (ROU) 64 61
[11] M. Lucic-Baroni (CRO) d S. Rogers (USA) 67(7) 61 61
Women’s
Doubles – Quarterfinals
[1] B. Mattek-Sands (USA) / L. Safarova (CZE) d J. Brady (USA) / A. Riske (USA) 63 62
A. Groenefeld (GER) / K. Peschke (CZE) d A. Spears (USA) / K. Srebotnik (SLO) 75 62
ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 2017 VOLVO CAR STADIUM start 1:00 pm
L. Siegemund (GER) vs D. Kasatkina (RUS)
[11] M. Lucic-Baroni (CRO) vs J. Ostapenko (LAT)
[1] B. Mattek-Sands (USA) / L. Safarova (CZE) vs A. Groenefeld (GER) / K. Peschke (CZE)
[4] L. Hradecka (CZE) / K. Siniakova (CZE) vs R. Atawo (USA) / J. Ostapenko (LAT)
Laura Siegemund (Photo: Tony Callaio, Tennis Atlantic)
Big Day for @Shelby_Rogers_ & @LauraSiegemund as @VolvoCarOpen Field Paired to Eight Tony Callaio and Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic
After a wacky Wednesday with lots of upsets, top remaining seed Caroline Wozniacki had to win twice in one of the windiest days in Charleston memory, which was impressive enough. But the real surprises continued to come from homegrown hero Shelby Rogers and the breakout Laura Siegemund, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the Volvo Car Open in Charleston, South Carolina.
A day after beating Venus Williams in three sets the day before, Siegemund made short work of Lucie Safarova, 6-2, 6-3 in 80 minutes. The punchy German came out swinging and never let up. “I wanted to be aggressive right away…I think she was surprised how aggressive I came out”, she told Tennis Channel immediately after the victory. She’ll face 8 seed Anastasija Sevastova in the second match after 1:00 p.m.
Shelby Rogers (Photo: Tony Callaio, Tennis Atlantic)
Shelby Rogers also made short work of her opponent, Naomi Osaka, in the nightcap. Rogers advanced to the Volvo Car Open quarters in 89 minutes in a 6-4, 6-2 home-court win. The venerable Mirjana Lucic-Baroni awaits Rogers in a match to be played after the conclusion of the Siegemund-Sevastova contest.
Begu upended Stosur 7-5, 6-3 when the winds kicked in creating rough conditions for the players. Stosur commented on the conditions in her post match press, “I mean if it’s like this at home, I don’t hit or go outdoors because it’s very hard to get any sort of rhythm.”
Conditions stayed gusty all afternoon into the evening with windy conditions promised for Friday’s action.
Caroline Wozniaki (Photo: Tony Callaio, Tennis Atlantic)
Wozniacki ended up doing double duty on the day when she had her regularly scheduled round of 16 match had to be played after she dispatched Beck in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1. She took on qualifier Anastasia Rodionova defeating her soundly 6-2, 6-3.
In other action, Sevastova d. Jabeur 7-5, 7-6(6); Ostapenko d. Stollar 6-1, 1-0 ret.; Lucic-Baroni d. Bertens 7-6(5), 6-4; Kasatkina d. Gavrilova 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.
ORDER OF PLAY – FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2017 VOLVO CAR STADIUM start 10:45 am
A. Groenefeld (GER) / K. Peschke (CZE) vs A. Spears (USA) / K. Srebotnik (SLO)
Not Before 1:00 pm
[10] I. Begu (ROU) vs D. Kasatkina (RUS)
[8] A. Sevastova (LAT) vs L. Siegemund (GER)
S. Rogers (USA) or N. Osaka (JPN) vs [11] M. Lucic-Baroni (CRO)
Not Before 7:00 pm
J. Ostapenko (LAT) vs [5] C. Wozniacki (DEN)
[1] B. Mattek-Sands (USA) / L. Safarova (CZE) or [WC] E. Halbauer (USA) / S. Kenin (USA) vs J. Brady (USA) / A. Riske (USA)
Wild Wednesday as Stollar Shocks Vesnina, Rogers Rocks Keys at @VolvoCarOpen Steve Fogleman and Tony Callaio, Tennis Atlantic
Fanny Stollar, Charleston 2017 (Photo Credit: Tony Callaio, TennisAtlantic.com)
It was a day when the rain never came, until it did. Many higher-ranked players and Americans probably prayed for the rain to come to the Volvo Car Open in the second and third sets of their matches to allow them to regroup mentally, but it didn’t.
The result? What tournament officials would privately consider a disaster: Americans Venus Williams, Madison Keys and Bethanie Mattek-Sands bowed out, as well as fan favorites Monica Puig and 2016 runner-up Elena Vesnina. The rain finally came, postponing the night session and dropping penny-sized hail nearby.
There were at least two silver linings in those storm clouds. Fanny Stollar, virtually unknown before the weekend, was the player to beat Vesnina and enter the round of 16. Having qualified for her first WTA tour event over the weekend, Stollar has now beaten Asia Muhammad and world #13 Elena Vesnina and will face Ostapenko today. And she really didn’t have any time to soak it in.
A jubilant Stollar of Hungry walked into the Media Center for post match press all smiles as she had just completed the biggest victory of her career when she knocked off No.4 seed Russian Elena Vesnina in a stunning upset 7-6(7), 7-6(3).
Stellar, ranked 282 in the world, dispatched Vesnina in the 2:05 match.
“It really feels good (to win), but it’s still not done, so I can’t be so happy about it because the next one is coming up,” said Stollar. “I just felt really calm and confident right now. So I don’t have any pressure on me at all. I’m just having fun and playing.”
Shelby Rogers, 2017 Volvo Car Open (Photo: Tony Callaio, Tennis Atlantic)
Though local fans would surely lament the loss of Madison Keys to the tournament, if someone had to do it, let it be Shelby. They got their wish as the hometown girl at her home tournament, dubbed “Ms. Roger’s Neighborhood” by Bethanie Mattek-Sands, made the most of the home-court advantage. Despite offering Keys chances to stick around, the listless top seed was no match for Rogers in a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 runaway train ride. Rogers gets Naomi Osaka today and the winner gets Lucic-Baroni or Bertens. There is a real opportunity for Rogers to advance deep into her own neighborhood.
Shelby Rogers, 2017 Volvo Car Open (Photo: Tony Callaio, Tennis Atlantic)
If you listened to Keys and Williams at their press conferences on Monday, neither seemed to have a lot of fire in their belly. For Keys, it’s a slow recovery. For Venus, it’s just the grind of the tour. She jokingly(?) said it was her third time in Charleston, when it was actually her ninth. A senior moment?
Play starts at 11:00 a.m.
VOLVO CAR OPEN – CHARLESTON, SC, USA
$776,000
APRIL 3 – 9, 2017
RESULTS – APRIL 5, 2017 Women’s Singles – Second Round
S. Rogers (USA) d [1] M. Keys (USA) 46 61 61
L. Siegemund (GER) d [3] V. Williams (USA) 64 67(3) 75
[Q] F. Stollar (HUN) d [4] E. Vesnina (RUS) 76(7) 76(3)
[7] K. Bertens (NED) d K. Bondarenko (UKR) 62 75
[8] A. Sevastova (LAT) d A. Petkovic (GER) 63 64
[10] I. Begu (ROU) d K. Kucova (SVK) 46 62 76(6)
[11] M. Lucic-Baroni (CRO) d M. Barthel (GER) 63 62
N. Osaka (JPN) d [13] S. Zhang (CHN) 64 64
[15] L. Safarova (CZE) d [WC] B. Mattek-Sands (USA) 63 63
J. Ostapenko (LAT) d M. Sakkari (GRE) 62 46 62
[Q] A. Rodionova (AUS) d S. Errani (ITA) 62 62
[LL] O. Jabeur (TUN) d M. Linette (POL) 64 64
D. Kasatkina (RUS) d M. Puig (PUR) 60 67(3) 62
D. Gavrilova (AUS) d A. Riske (USA) 63 61
Women’s Doubles – First Round
[2] A. Hlavackova (CZE) / S. Mirza (IND) d D. Gavrilova (AUS) / D. Kasatkina (RUS) 16 63 10-3
[4] L. Hradecka (CZE) / K. Siniakova (CZE) d [Alt] D. Kovinic (MNE) / A. Krunic (SRB) 64 75
ORDER OF PLAY – THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017
VOLVO CAR STADIUM start 11:00 am
[6] S. Stosur (AUS) vs [10] I. Begu (ROU)
Not Before 12:30 pm
A. Beck (GER) vs [5] C. Wozniacki (DEN) 00
D. Kasatkina (RUS) vs D. Gavrilova (AUS)
[15] L. Safarova (CZE) vs L. Siegemund (GER)
[Q] A. Rodionova (AUS) vs A. Beck (GER) or [5] C. Wozniacki (DEN)
Not Before 7:00 pm
S. Rogers (USA) vs N. Osaka (JPN)
D. Jurak (CRO) / A. Rodionova (AUS) vs [4] L. Hradecka (CZE) / K. Siniakova (CZE)
ALTHEA GIBSON CLUB COURT start 11:00 am
[8] A. Sevastova (LAT) vs [LL] O. Jabeur (TUN)
[Q] F. Stollar (HUN) vs J. Ostapenko (LAT)
[11] M. Lucic-Baroni (CRO) vs [7] K. Bertens (NED)
R. Atawo (USA) / J. Ostapenko (LAT) vs [2] A. Hlavackova (CZE) / S. Mirza (IND)
[1] B. Mattek-Sands (USA) / L. Safarova (CZE) vs [WC] E. Halbauer (USA) / S. Kenin (USA)
COURT 3 start 1:00 pm
K. Bondarenko (UKR) / G. Dabrowski (CAN) vs A. Spears (USA) / K. Srebotnik (SLO)
Tennis Atlantic 