Keys Feels At Home At Charleston Open, Win Or Lose

Madison Keys
Madison Keys (photo: Charleston Tennis LLC)

CHARLESTON, S.C./WASHINGTON, April 2, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

Madison Keys has always loved playing at the Credit One Charleston Open in the South Carolina Lowcountry – and Credit One Stadium is where the current American No. 3 enjoyed one of her best weeks as a pro six years ago, when she raised the colorful, artistic South Carolina glass-blown trophy after winning the 2019 title.

Now, Keys is back as the No. 2 seed in a talented field that includes fellow Americans Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro and last year’s champion Danielle Collins in the WTA Tour’s kickoff to the spring clay season. Just two months ago, the World No. 5 Keys made a breakthrough in her career when she won the Australian Open title. Two months before that, she and her longtime partner and coach, Bjorn Fratangelo, were married in Charleston.

“Charleston has always felt like home to me,” the 30-year-old Keys said in December, when she was announced as one of the first to commit to this year’s event. “It’s a tournament I hold close to my heart. … Not just because of the results I’ve had there, but because of the amazing atmosphere. The fans, the city, the entire tournament feels like family. I’m excited to return and hopefully add to the special memories I’ve made there.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Keys faced fellow American and good friend Caroline Dolehide, ranked 73rd, in a featured match on Credit One Stadium – her happy hunting ground – that proved both entertaining and dramatic. After jumping out to an early 3-0 single-break lead, Keys settled in, went to work and – unexpectedly – took the scenic route to the finish line.

Keys dazzled both the crowd and Dolehide with her solid baseline attack throughout, which produced 24 winners, and, finally, won 6-3, 7-6 (4) in an hour and 43 minutes to advance to Thursday’s third round – although it took her eight match points to close out the victory, after enduring a 13-minute, 8-deuce ninth game that twisted and turned through 22 points in the second set. Keys outpointed Dolehide 80-70.

“I think [Caroline] started playing some of her best tennis at the end and I think I got a little bit passive,” Keys said during her on-court interview after securing her 21st career win in the Lowcountry. “Then, all of a sudden eight match points later … The drama is escalating and everyone wants to go home! Here we are. I got it done and I get to come back and play another match here.”

Next, after a day to recover Keys will face either No. 14 seed Anna Kalinskaya of Russia or 222nd-ranked American qualifier Caty McNally, who play on Wednesday.

“I love this tournament so much. I’ve been here for more than the last decade,” Keys said. “I love it here. I got married here. So, I feel like this is one of my favorite places in the entire world. I’m so happy to be back playing here.”

Collins begins title defense with a solid win

After Danielle Collins won last year’s Charleston title, few expected her to return to the South Carolina Lowcountry to defend her crown. She had announced her plans to retire from pro tennis at the end of the 2024 season after dealing with rheumatoid arthritis and endometriosis. However, Collins, a former World No. 7 who is currently ranked No. 22, changed her mind and is back on tour in 2025 – just as competitive as before.

“I like looking at this as bonus time to get to do what I love and see where it takes me,” the 31-year-old Collins, a two-time former NCAA singles champion at the University of Virginia, said during her pre-tournament news conference Monday. “Just to be out here doing something that I’ve worked so hard for over the last 10, 20 years of my life, it’s just a little bit of extended time to enjoy this.”

A holder of four tour-level titles – including back-to-back triumphs at Miami and Charleston last season – and winner of 13 consecutive matches during her 2024 campaign, Collins is seeded seventh this week. She faced 105th-ranked American Robin Montgomery in a featured match on Credit One Stadium Tuesday evening and won, 6-3, 6-1, in 69 minutes.

Collins won 72 percent of her service points, hit 26 winners, faced no break points on her serve and broke Montgomery’s serve four times in nine tries. She outpointed her opponent 62-42.

Asked during her post-match news conference her thoughts on the match, Collins replied: “I think it was pretty solid. Had a good mindset going into it and just continued working on the things that I’m working on and going after my shots. So, it was pretty smooth sailing, I think because of that mindset.”

Next, Collins will play the winner of Wednesday’s second-round match between No. 11 seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and 167th-ranked American qualifier Louisa Chirico, who defeated 98th-ranked Erika Andreeva of Russia, older sister of World No. 7 and recent Indian Wells champion Mirra Andreeva.

Around the Credit One Charleston Open

• Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin picked up where she left off Monday night, when her first-round match was postponed due to inclement weather, and defeated fellow American Bernarda Pera, 6-3, 6-4, in an hour and 25 minutes on Credit One Stadium to advance to a second-round matchup with 2022 Charleston titlist Belinda Bencic.

Kenin won 73 percent of her first-serve points, hit 24 winners to 28 unforced errors, saved five of six break points she faced from the 80th-ranked Pera, and outpointed her opponent 75-62. The win improved Kenin’s 2025 season win-loss record to 13-8 but it was just her third career win in Charleston.

During a post-match interview with Tennis Channel, the 44th-ranked Kenin was asked how she would “compare the Sofia Kenin that won the Australian Open five years ago to the one now?” Kenin replied: “I feel like I need some more matches, a little more confidence. I feel like I just need to find my groove a bit more and then I feel like I’m getting closer to that feisty kid. I’m still feisty … I’m trying to take things a bit easier. When the time is right, you’ll see the feistiness.”

• No. 90 Hailey Baptiste of the United States garnered her eighth career tour-level main draw win on her favorite surface – clay – with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 100 Olivia Gadecki of Australia in an hour and 24 minutes to set up a second-round match on Wednesday against World No. 11 and fourth seed Emma Navarro in an all-American showdown. Baptiste hit 12 winners, converted four of 11 break points and outpointed Gadecki 65-48.

Asked during a post-match interview with Tennis Channel what she was most proud of overall with her game, Baptiste said: “That I was able to close out the second set and not let it get in my head. Obviously, she raised her level and I was able to stay steady and focused on what I was doing.”

Later, during her post-match news conference, Baptiste added: “First match on clay. So that was super exciting. It’s my favorite surface, and I’ve been really excited to get back on it. Played a pretty clean match., A little tough in the second set, but I was able to pull it out.”

• Other Tuesday singles winners: No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova of the United States, No. 64 Maria Sakkari of Greece, No. 67 Ann Li of the United States, 131st-ranked qualifier Iryna Shymanovich of Belarus, 176th-ranked Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai, and 211th-ranked American wild card Lauren Davis.

• In doubles, three teams advanced to the quarterfinal round: Sofia Kenin of the United States and Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine; Diana Shnaider of Russia and Peyton Stearns of the United States; and Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States and Lucie Safarova of Czechia.

Kasatkina: “What’s going on … mates?”

World No. 12 Daria Kasatkina spoke to the media for the first time Monday after her defection from Russia to Australia. After she arrived for her pre-tournament media get-together, she greeted reporters with an appropriate “What’s going on … mates?” Mates, of course, is an appropriate Aussie colloquialism that is used to greet friends and acquaintances – and Kasatkina was already talking the talk of her new nation.

It had only been three days earlier that Kasatkina, 27, broke the news via social media that she had changed nationalities and going forward would be representing Australia – not Russia – in her WTA competitions.

“Today, the rankings update, and it’s my first official day as an Australian player,” Kasatkina said. “And honestly, it feels different. I’m not going to lie. It’s emotional for me. So, I have to get used to it. But yeah, I’m really happy to start this new chapter of my life and represent Australia on the big stage.”

The past few years, Kasatkina had been a player without a country. Now, she’s ready to leave it all behind and start brand new.

“Honestly, with everything going on in my previous country, I didn’t have much choice,” Kasatkina admitted. “Because for me, being openly gay, if I want to be myself, I had to make this step. And I did it, in the end.”

It’s 13,620 kilometers from Kasatkina’s native Tolyatti, Russia to Melbourne, Australia – quite a distance, no doubt. However, a life in Australia is something Kasatkina looks forward to. She has been in a committed relationship with girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako, a Russian figure skater, for three years.

“Australia is the place where I feel that I can be myself,” Kasatkina explained, “and I really am happy to have this privilege to be part of this beautiful country.”

When Kasatkina walks out on Credit One Stadium for her opening match on Wednesday against 211th-ranked American wild card Lauren Davis, hearing “From Australia, Daria Kasatkina” will take a little getting used to – but it will be a happy moment for her. Charleston fans have always warmed to Kasatkina, who won the 2017 title in the South Carolina Lowcountry and was a finalist last year.

“Charleston is … one of the places where I feel at home because of the people here,” Kasatkina said. “I have the best memories here. If I can have another good run here, that would be amazing.”

Tuesday’s Charleston Open results

Wednesday’s Charleston Open order of play

By the numbers

There are five former Credit One Charleston Open singles champions in this year’s draw: Daria Kasatkina (2017), Madison Keys (2019), Veronika Kudermetova (2021), Belinda Bencic (2022) and Danielle Collins (2024).

“Quotable …”

“The last few years have been very difficult for me. I mean, I didn’t show the results that I wanted. This match for me was very typical. I tried to stay focused. … When I have expectations, it never works. Right now, I am trying to enjoy [the process] but it is not easy.” 

– Former Charleston champion Veronika Kudermetova of Russia, now ranked 52nd, interviewed by Tennis Channel on Monday following her 6-0, 6-2 first-round win over American wild card Maria Mateas.

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