Katelyn Mulcahy
Credit: Credit One Charleston Open
Two-time Charleston semifinalist and World No. 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova will compete in the 2026 Credit One Charleston Open, North America’s largest women’s-only professional tennis tournament, taking place March 28 – April 5 in Charleston. The five-time WTA champion delivered the best season of her career in 2025, reaching 11 quarterfinals or better, capturing her first WTA 500 title in Linz, and finishing the year ranked inside the Top 10 for the first time.
She joins fellow Top 20 players Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, Belinda Bencic, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro and Iva Jovic in the player field for the tournament’s 54th edition at Credit One Stadium on Daniel Island.
“Charleston has been a good tournament for me over the years. I’ve had strong results there and I feel comfortable on the green clay,” said Alexandrova. “The fans bring a really nice atmosphere, which makes it enjoyable to play. Making the semifinals twice gives me confidence coming back, and I’m looking forward to competing again this year.”
The 2026 event will mark Alexandrova’s sixth appearance in Charleston. She reached one quarterfinal in 2023 and two semifinals in 2022 and 2025, and holds a 9-5 win/loss record.
“We are excited to welcome Ekaterina back to Charleston,” said Bob Moran, President of Beemok Sports & Entertainment. “As a two-time semifinalist at our tournament, she has consistently competed at a high level on our green clay, and her recent success on the WTA Tour, highlighted by a career-best season and a year-end Top 10 finish, adds to the strength of this year’s field. With our full player field closing next week, we look forward to announcing additional player commitments soon as we continue to build an exceptional lineup for 2026.”
In Alexandrova’s current season, she reached the final in Abu Dhabi and captured the doubles title there with partner Maya Joint. In 2025, she captured her fifth career title in Linz and reached three additional finals in Seoul, Ningbo and Monterrey. She also advanced to four semifinals in Doha, Charleston, Stuttgart and ’s-Hertogenbosch, along with three quarterfinal appearances in Bad Homburg, Hamburg and Tokyo.
The nine-day Credit One Charleston Open showcases a singles draw of 48 players, a qualifying draw of 24 players, and a doubles draw of 16 players. The event traditionally hosts more than 90,000 attendees on Daniel Island.
The Credit One Charleston Open has launched its Fan Hub, a centralized destination for all on-site experiences and tournament happenings. Beyond world-class tennis, fans can enjoy nine days of elevated dining, theme nights, live music and interactive programming, highlighted by the debut of a new eatery on-site, The Kitchen, and a signature Oyster Roast on Saturday, March 28, featuring all-you-can-eat oysters during qualifying weekend. Special event tickets are on sale now at creditonecharlestonopen.com or by calling (843) 856-7900, in addition to a variety of single-session and package options available. Special discounts are available for juniors, seniors, USTA members and military members. Juniors aged 16 and under receive complimentary general admission with the purchase of an adult ticket, courtesy of Credit One Bank.
As the kickoff event of the WTA 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, 2024 and 2025. In April, Credit One Bank extended its title partnership through 2031 and announced the tournament will offer $2.5 million in equal prize money beginning in 2026, marking a significant milestone for the event. The increase reflects the bank’s commitment to advancing investment and opportunity in women’s sports and further positions Charleston as a leader on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz. With this move, the Credit One Charleston Open became the first standalone WTA 500 tournament to voluntarily raise prize money.
The Credit One Charleston Open has been a pioneer in women’s professional sports since 1973, paving the way for female tennis players to receive equal recognition, respect and compensation in the sport. The tournament has a long history of breaking new ground in tennis, having been the first women’s tennis event to offer $100,000 in prize money in 1973 and the first to be broadcast live on network television. The inaugural champion, Rosie Casals, received a check for $30,000, which was the largest prize money payout awarded to a woman that year. Originally held on Hilton Head Island, the event relocated to Charleston in 2001 and is now played at the LTP Daniel Island tennis center, home to Credit One Stadium.
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. 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.