World No. 9 and 2021 Charleston champion Veronika Kudermetova and World No. 11 and two-time NCAA champion Danielle Collins have entered the 2023 Credit One Charleston Open, the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America.
The WTA 500 tournament, which is the annual clay season kickoff event on the WTA Hologic Tour, is set to return April 1 through April 9 in the renovated and modernized Credit One Stadium on Daniel Island. Kudermetova and Collins join a list of top-ranked players already competing in the tournament, including World No. 2 Ons Jabeur, World No. 3 Jessica Pegula, World No. 10 Belinda Bencic and World No. 13 Madison Keys.
“We love the direction our field is taking so far for the 2023 Credit One Charleston Open,” said Bob Moran, tournament director of the Credit One Charleston Open and president of Charleston Tennis LLC. “Since winning our event, Veronika has climbed the singles and doubles rankings, entering the Top 10 and playing her best tennis. Danielle is an American standout and fan favorite here in Charleston. In 2022, she played in her first Grand Slam final in Australia, which catapulted her into the top 10. Both of these players have powerful games and personalities to match. We look forward to seeing them both on Daniel Island in April.”
Kudermetova is currently World No. 9 in singles and World No. 3 in doubles. After winning her maiden title in Charleston in 2021, she went on to have a standout 2022 season, where she broke into the world’s Top 10 for the first time. She made the finals in Melbourne, Dubai and Istanbul and reached four semifinals and four quarterfinals, including a run to the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros. Her season showcased results of a quarterfinals or better at 11 of her 20 singles events. In addition, she captured three doubles titles – the WTA finals, Rome and Dubai – competed in three additional doubles finals and reached the Australian Open’s doubles semifinals.
Her 2023 season has kicked off with back-to-back quarterfinals and semifinals appearances in Adelaide, Australia.
Kudermetova will be competing in the Credit One Charleston Open for the third time.
Collins had a strong start to her 2022 season with her first Grand Slam final finish at the Australian Open. She also reached the semifinals in San Diego, quarterfinals in Miami and the fourth round of the U.S. Open. Additionally, she competed in the Wimbledon doubles semifinals.
A two-time NCAA champion at the University of Virginia, she has won WTA titles in Palermo and San Jose. This will be her second appearance in Charleston.
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.
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, held on Hilton Head Island until it moved to Daniel Island in 2001, 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.
Tickets for the 2023 tournament can be purchased online at creditonecharlestonopen.com or by calling 843-856-7900.
