Sports
2023 Australian Open champion enters Charleston Open player field
2023 Australian Open champion and World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka has committed to compete in the Credit One Charleston Open, the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America. The tournament, which was recently named the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year, is the annual clay season kickoff event on the WTA Hologic Tour. The Charleston Open is set to return to the renovated and modernized Credit One Stadium on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina, April 1 – 9. With the addition of World No. 2 Sabalenka, the tournament’s player field now showcases five of the world’s top 10 players, including World No. 3 Jessica Pegula, World No. 4 Ons Jabeur, World No. 8 Daria Kasatkina and World No. 9 Belinda Bencic.
Sabalenka’s 2023 season has been exceptional thus far. She began the year by winning the Adelaide International 1 and then captured her maiden Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open.
“Aryna’s addition to our player field reinforces an already incredible line-up for April,” said Bob Moran, Tournament Director of the Credit One Charleston Open and President of Charleston Tennis LLC. “She plays consistently strong tennis and is at the top of her game, recently adding Grand Slam champion to her already impressive resume. With a deep player field and a schedule filled with off-court activities, our ticket sales have been going extremely well and we have officially sold out of all tournament ticket packages. We encourage our tennis attendees to purchase their single session tickets in advance for this year’s tournament.”
The 24-year-old has been a mainstay in the WTA’s top 10 rankings since 2019. Her powerful game has propelled her to 12 career WTA singles titles and six WTA doubles titles, including the 2021 Australian Open and 2019 US Open. Her 2022 season included nine quarterfinal or better appearances, with finals in Stuttgart and ‘s-Hertogenbosch and semifinals in Rome, Cincinnati and New York at the US Open. She was also the runner-up at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth.
“I am really looking forward to competing in Charleston again this spring,” said Sabalenka. “I love visiting the city and the fans at the tournament are always so welcoming and fun. I had a great time last year and I’m excited to be back in April to hopefully win this time!”
The 2023 Credit One Charleston Open will be Sabalenka’s third tournament appearance where she holds a 2-2 win/loss record.
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.
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.
Tickets for the 2023 tournament can be purchased online at creditonecharlestonopen.com or by calling (843) 856-7900. When purchasing tickets for the 2023 Credit One Charleston Open, patrons can choose from single session tickets ($25+) from Saturday, April 1 – Sunday, April 9. All tournament packages have officially sold out for the 2023 tournament, inclusive of all 100 and 200 level packages.
For additional information, please email tickets@charlestontennisllc.