Tennis Under the Trees
The Credit One Charleston Open wraps up a scorching week of tennis on Daniel Island this weekend
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The jasmine is blooming; the flags are flying; the yellow balls are spinning... it can only mean one thing. Spring has finally sprung, and the top women’s tennis players from across the globe have arrived in Charleston for the Credit One Charleston Open tennis tournament.
The COCO, which celebrated its 50th year in 2022, is held on Daniel Island every April and is the largest women’s-only tournament in North America.
The ladies have been in action at the LTP Daniel Island Tennis Center all week, starting with qualifiers on April 1st and 2nd and wrapping up today, Friday, April 7, with a stacked quarter-finals day featuring the top four seeds.
Players on the court today include fan favorite and 2019 winner American Madison Keys; last year’s winner and Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic; last year’s finalist and the first Arab player to win a WTA title, Ons Jabeur; and South Carolina native and World No. 3 Jessica Pegula.
Matches start at 1 p.m. and go long into the night (weather permitting). Semi-finals start tomorrow, with the finals wrapping up on Easter Sunday, so there’s still plenty of time to get out there and catch some world-class tennis.
The Charleston Open, as it’s now known (for many years, it was The Family Circle Cup, then briefly the Volvo Car Open, before becoming the COCO last year), is a unique stop on the WTA tour for the players as it marks the transition from hard courts of Miami and Indian Wells to the softer clay.
It’s the only WTA 500 tournament held on green clay in the U.S., and following this week, the players will make their way to Europe and begin preparing for the red clay of the French Open.
It is also a unique tournament for fans. The intimate size of the Daniel Island Tennis Center and the relaxed atmosphere for the players means it's common to find these stars walking around the sun-dappled, tree-lined grounds, mingling with fans and enjoying the unique southern hospitality.
Daniel Island is also arguably one of the most picturesque settings for a tennis tournament. The tagline for the COCO this year is Where the Court Meets The Coast. But, sitting on one of the outer courts surrounded by oak trees and reveling in the cool breeze from the Wando River, it’s the abundance of trees that makes it feel like a truly special place to watch tennis.
And this week, fans were treated to some thrilling action on both the stadium court and Althea Gibson Club Court, as well as those intimate outer courts. Big names stars, including Leylah Fernandez, Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens, Sofia Kenin, and Sabine Lisicki battled for the title, as did local hopefuls Emma Navarro (daughter of tournament owner Ben Navarro) and Shelby Rogers.
Rogers, who grew up in Mount Pleasant and is ranked #44 in the world, put on a fantastic show for her local supporters. She made it through to the round of 16 in two three-set matches, only to fall to last year’s winner Belinda Bencic in a cracking third-round clash. Still, the 30-year-old will have a lot to take away from this week, including an engagement ring. Her fiance proposed to her just before the tournament started.
However, the locals still have a South Carolinian to cheer for into the final weekend. Jessica Pegula, 29, remains in the race for the title. Pegula grew up on Hilton Head Island and trained for two years here on Daniel Island.
General admission tickets for the last three days of matches, both singles and doubles, are still available on-site at the box office or online at creditonecharlestonopen.com/tickets/.
Chris Smith
