The draw for the Credit One Charleston Open has been revealed, signaling the start of the Hologic WTA Tour`s clay-court season with the first WTA 500 tournament on this surface this year.
Charleston: Draws | Scores | Order of play
Nine of the world`s Top 20 players are set to compete in Charleston, South Carolina, vying for the prestigious title on the city`s signature green clay courts.
Main-draw matches will commence on Monday, March 31. The top 16 seeded players will have a bye in the first round.
View the full main draw at the WTA website here!
Here’s a breakdown of the key storylines from the draw:
First quarter
Seeds: [1] Jessica Pegula, [7] Danielle Collins, [11] Jelena Ostapenko, [16] Peyton Stearns
World No. 4 Jessica Pegula is the top seed in the draw. Pegula has reached the Charleston semifinals in the past two years and aims for her first final appearance. After a first-round bye, she will play against either wildcard Heather Watson or a qualifier in the second round.
Defending champion Danielle Collins is positioned at the opposite end of this quarter. To make a deep run again, she might have to overcome several strong Charleston competitors. Seeded No. 7, Collins could potentially face 2017 runner-up Jelena Ostapenko or 2022 champion Belinda Bencic in the Round of 16.
Second quarter
Seeds: [3] Zheng Qinwen, [6] Diana Shnaider, [9] Ekaterina Alexandrova, [13] Elise Mertens
Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen is the top seed in this quarter. However, the No. 3 seed will face an immediate challenge if she hopes to achieve another strong result on clay. Her first match is set to be a second-round clash with former World No. 3 Maria Sakkari or rising Canadian talent Marina Stakusic, aged 20.
No. 6 seed Diana Shnaider is located on the other side of this quarter and could potentially face No. 9 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Round of 16. Alexandrova previously enjoyed an eight-match winning streak earlier in the season.
Third quarter
Seeds: [4] Emma Navarro, [8] Amanda Anisimova, [10] Yulia Putintseva, [15] Ashlyn Krueger
Charleston native Emma Navarro enters her hometown tournament with her highest seeding ever at No. 4. She will compete against either fellow American Hailey Baptiste or Australian Olivia Gadecki in the second round.
Amanda Anisimova, the No. 8 seed and Doha WTA 1000 champion, is situated at the other end of this quarter. She may encounter 2021 champion Veronika Kudermetova in the second round, provided Kudermetova defeats wildcard 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 significantly advanced their careers in Charleston, are positioned at opposite ends of the fourth quarter.
No. 2 seed Keys reached her first clay-court final in Charleston a decade ago in 2015 and later won the title in 2019. This marks her 11th appearance at the event, arriving for the first time as a Grand Slam champion, having won this year`s Australian Open and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 5.
No. 5 seed Kasatkina secured her first career title in Charleston in 2017, defeating Ostapenko in the final. Notably, this tournament will be Kasatkina`s debut representing her new nation, Australia.
Sofia Kenin, another Grand Slam champion and the 2020 Australian Open winner, is also in this quarter. She is set to face fellow American Bernarda Pera in the first round.
