The player lineup has been announced for the Credit One Charleston Open, marking the start of the Hologic WTA Tour`s clay season with the first WTA 500 event on this surface in 2024.
Nine of the world`s top 20 players are set to compete in South Carolina, aiming for victory on Charleston`s well-known green clay courts.
Main tournament matches begin on Monday, March 31st. The top 16 seeded players will have a bye in the first round.
Here’s a closer look at the draw:
First Quarter
Seeds: [1] Jessica Pegula, [7] Danielle Collins, [11] Jelena Ostapenko, [16] Peyton Stearns
Jessica Pegula, currently ranked No. 4 globally, is the top seed. Pegula has reached the Charleston semifinals for the past two years and is seeking her first final appearance. After a first-round bye, her second match will be against either Heather Watson (wild card) or a qualifier.
Danielle Collins, the defending champion and No. 7 seed, is positioned in the same quarter. To advance deep in the tournament again, she might face familiar Charleston competitors. If Collins reaches the Round of 16, she could play against Jelena Ostapenko (2017 runner-up) or Belinda Bencic (2022 champion).
Second Quarter
Seeds: [3] Zheng Qinwen, [6] Diana Shnaider, [9] Ekaterina Alexandrova, [13] Elise Mertens
Zheng Qinwen, the reigning Olympic gold medalist and No. 3 seed, faces a potentially tough path on clay. Her first match is in the second round against either Maria Sakkari, a former World No. 3, or Marina Stakusic, a rising Canadian player aged 20.
Diana Shnaider, seeded No. 6, is in the opposite section of this quarter and could potentially meet Ekaterina Alexandrova (No. 9 seed) in the Round of 16. Alexandrova achieved an eight-match winning streak earlier in the year.
Third Quarter
Seeds: [4] Emma Navarro, [8] Amanda Anisimova, [10] Yulia Putintseva, [15] Ashlyn Krueger
Emma Navarro, a Charleston native, enters her hometown tournament with her highest seeding ever at No. 4. Her second-round opponent will be either fellow American Hailey Baptiste or Australian Olivia Gadecki.
Amanda Anisimova, the No. 8 seed and Doha WTA 1000 champion this year, is placed in the other half of this quarter. She might face Veronika Kudermetova, the 2021 Charleston champion, in the second round if Kudermetova defeats wild card Maria Mateas.
Fourth Quarter
Seeds: [2] Madison Keys, [5] Daria Kasatkina, [12] Magdalena Frech, [14] Anna Kalinskaya
Madison Keys and Daria Kasatkina, both of whom have achieved significant career milestones in Charleston, are positioned at opposite ends of the final quarter.
Keys, the No. 2 seed, reached her first clay-court final in Charleston in 2015 and won the title in 2019. This is her 11th time playing in the event, and she enters as a Grand Slam champion for the first time, having won the Australian Open and reached a career-high ranking of No. 5.
Kasatkina, seeded No. 5, secured her first career title in Charleston in 2017 by defeating Ostapenko in the final. This tournament also marks Kasatkina`s debut representing Australia.
Sofia Kenin, another Grand Slam champion (2020 Australian Open), is also in this quarter and will play against fellow American Bernarda Pera in the first round.
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth