2025 Charleston champion and World No. 5 Jessica Pegula will return to defend her title at the 2026 Credit One Charleston Open, North America’s largest women’s-only professional tennis tournament. The nine-time WTA title winner captured three trophies in 2025, each on a different surface: Austin (hard), Charleston (clay) and Bad Homburg (grass). She will be joined by World No. 8 and defending Australian Open champion Madison Keys at the tournament, scheduled for March 28–April 5, 2026, on Daniel Island in Charleston.
In addition to her titles, Pegula reached the finals in Adelaide, Miami and Wuhan, and the semifinals at the U.S. Open in New York and Beijing, earning her fourth consecutive qualification for the WTA Finals. She finished the 2025 season with a 50–19 win-loss record.
As the kickoff event of the WTA Hologic Tour’s clay season, the Credit One Charleston Open is held annually at Credit One Stadium and was named WTA 500 Tournament of the Year in 2022, 2023 and 2024. In April, Credit One Bank extended its title sponsorship through 2031 and announced that the tournament will offer equal prize money beginning in 2026, a historic milestone. The move makes the Charleston Open the first standalone WTA 500 event to voluntarily increase prize money to match comparable ATP 500 tournaments.
“We are proud to welcome Jessie Pegula back to Charleston as our defending champion,” said Bob Moran, president of Beemok Sports & Entertainment. “Jess spent time training here early in her career, and it’s been incredibly special to watch her grow into one of the game’s top competitors. She’s not only earned her place among the world’s best, but she’s also earned the admiration of our fans. Her return adds something truly meaningful to next year’s tournament.”
Pegula will compete in the Charleston main draw for the eighth time. She holds a 16–6 win-loss record in Charleston and was a two-time semifinalist (2023 and 2024) before capturing the title in 2025.
“Coming back to Charleston for the Credit One Charleston Open means a lot to me. I’ve always loved playing there — the city, the fans, the energy — it just makes the experience so positive for us players,” said Pegula. “After being a semifinalist in both 2023 and 2024, finally breaking through and winning the title in 2025 was such a special career moment. The crowd support that week made it even more unforgettable, and I’m really excited to be back and compete in front of these amazing fans again at a tournament I love.”
The nine-day Credit One Charleston Open features a 48-player singles draw, a 24-player qualifying draw, and a 16-team doubles draw, and traditionally attracts more than 90,000 attendees to Daniel Island.
Charleston Tennis, LLC, which manages Credit One Stadium under a lease from the City of Charleston, renovated and modernized the 20-year-old facility in 2022, enhancing the experience for patrons, players and event staff and allowing the venue to attract world-class athletes.
The Credit One Charleston Open has been a pioneer in women’s professional sports since 1973, helping female players earn recognition, respect and fair compensation. The tournament was the first women’s tennis event to offer $100,000 in prize money and the first to be broadcast live on network television. Inaugural champion Rosie Casals received $30,000, the largest prize awarded to a woman that year. Originally held on Hilton Head Island, the tournament relocated to Charleston in 2001 and is now played at the LTP Daniel Island tennis center, home to Credit One Stadium.
Ticket packages are available at creditonecharlestonopen.com/ticket-packages