The tennis season shifts to clay courts after the hard court events in Indian Wells and Miami.
The Credit One Charleston Open, the first WTA 500 event on clay this year, begins on Monday. It was recognized as the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year last year.
A strong player field is expected, including four Top 10 players: No. 4 Jessica Pegula, No. 5 Madison Keys, No. 9 Zheng Qinwen, and No. 10 Emma Navarro, along with nine players from the Top 20. The top 16 seeds have a bye in the first round.
Key storylines to follow:
Top 5 Seeds Preview
No. 1 Jessica Pegula: Coming off a strong run to the Miami Open final, where she finished as runner-up to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. This is Pegula’s 11th appearance in Charleston, starting as a qualifier in 2011 when she was ranked No. 528. She has reached the semifinals in the past two years.
No. 2 Madison Keys: Keys is having a successful year, highlighted by her first major win at the Australian Open against Sabalenka. Her 16-match winning streak ended against Sabalenka in the BNP Paribas semifinals. Charleston has been a good venue for Keys, this being her 12th time playing, and she won the title in 2019. Her record on Charleston`s green clay is 20-10.
No. 3 Zheng Qinwen: Zheng has only played in Charleston once before, withdrawing from her second match in 2022. However, her game is well-suited for clay. Last year, she reached the quarterfinals in Rome and the third round at Roland Garros. After a slower start to this season, she has gained momentum with quarterfinal appearances at Indian Wells and Miami, losing to Iga Swiatek and Sabalenka respectively.
No. 4 Emma Navarro: Navarro was a highly-ranked junior when she first played in Charleston as a wild card in 2019. Five years later, with a 54-24 record, she was named the 2024 WTA Most Improved Player of the Year. Navarro reached the Round of 16 at Roland Garros, defeating Sara Errani and Keys before losing to Sabalenka.
No. 5 Daria Kasatkina: Kasatkina is a fan of this tournament. She won the Charleston title in 2017 and was a finalist last year. Her record in Charleston is an impressive 18-4.
Collins Aims for Another Victory
Danielle Collins had a remarkable run last year, winning six matches at the Miami Open and then another six in Charleston, securing the two biggest titles of her career. She transitioned effectively to clay, defeating players like Paula Badosa, Ons Jabeur, Sloane Stephens, Elise Mertens, Maria Sakkari, and Daria Kasatkina in the final. Only the match against Jabeur went to three sets. Collins went on a 16-match winning streak and returned to the Top 10. This season, she has a 5-4 record so far.
Potential Quarterfinal Matchups
No. 1 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 7 Danielle Collins
No. 3 Zheng Qinwen vs. No. 6 Diana Shnaider
No. 4 Emma Navarro vs. No. 8 Amanda Anisimova
No. 2 Madison Keys vs. No. 5 Daria Kasatkina
Qualifying Successes
A notable qualifying match featured 40-year-old Bethanie Mattek Sands and 36-year-old Zhang Shuai. Zhang won 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in nearly two hours to advance to the main draw. Zhang is ranked No. 172, while Mattek-Sands was aiming for her first main draw appearance in seven months and her first at a 500 level tournament (Grampians Trophy, Melbourne) in over four years.
Iryna Shymanovich, ranked No. 231, also qualified, defeating No. 281 Elvina Kalieva 7-6 (6), 6-4 and will play wild card Heather Watson. Katherine Sebov, a 26-year-old Canadian ranked No. 330, defeated Kyoka Okamura 6-4, 6-2 and will face Katie Volynets.
Possible Second-Round Matches to Watch
No. 4 Zheng Qinwen vs. Maria Sakkari
No. 15 Ashlyn Krueger vs. Katie Volynets
No. 17 Belinda Bencic vs. Sofia Kenin
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth