CHARLESTON, S.C./WASHINGTON, March 19, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
The Credit One Charleston Open, North America’s largest women’s-only professional tournament, has announced its 2026 main draw wild cards for the upcoming WTA 500 event on green clay.
Grand Slam champions, finalists and former top-5 players Bianca Andreescu of Canada, Sloane Stephens of the United States, Paula Badosa of Spain and American Jennifer Brady join a strong field that now includes 11 Top-25 players, five Grand Slam champions and four former Charleston Open champions as the tournament returns to the South Carolina Lowcountry from March 28 to April 5 on Daniel Island.
The annual kickoff event to the WTA Tour’s clay season, the Credit One Charleston open was recently named WTA 500 Tournament of the Year for the fourth consecutive year.
“This group of wild cards adds even more depth and excitement to an already strong field,” said Bob Moran, President of Beemok Sports & Entertainment. “Bianca, Sloane, Paula and Jen are beloved and accomplished players who have each worked their way back from lengthy injuries, and we’re happy to welcome them to Charleston as they return to form. We know our fans will be excited to see them back on court and ready for competition.”
🇨🇦 Bianca Andreescu, 🇺🇸 Sloane Stephens, 🇪🇸 Paula Badosa and 🇺🇸 Jennifer Brady bring a combined resume of Grand Slam titles, finals appearances and Top 5 rankings to the green clay.
— Credit One Charleston Open (@CharlestonOpen) March 19, 2026
• Bianca Andreescu, who will be making her Charleston Open debut, won won three singles titles in 2019 – the US Open, Toronto and Indian Wells – and rose as high as World No. 4 in the rankings. Her first WTA Tour event since October 2025 came at the end of February in Austin, Texas, as she continues her return to form following injuries.
• Sloane Stephens won the Charleston Open singles title in 2016 and the doubles title in 2024. She has been ranked as high as World No. 3 and owns eight career titles, including the 2017 US Open. This year marks her 12th appearance in Charleston, which has also has included two quarterfinal runs in addition to her title success. After battling injuries and competing in only six events in 2025, Stephens is beginning to work her way back onto the tour this season.
• Paula Badosa is a former World No. 2, who holds four WTA titles. Her most recent crown came when she won the 2024 event in Washington, D.C. She reached the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open and the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open. This will be her fifth appearance in Charleston, where she owns a 9-4 win-loss record and reached the semifinals in 2021 and the quarterfinals in 2022 and 2023. Badosa continues her return following an injury-plagued 2025 season.
• Jennifer Brady, a 2021 Australian Open finalist and 2020 Lexington champion, recently returned to competition in Austin last month. It was her first tournament since Beijing in October 2023. Brady has also been a US Open semifinalist and was part of the 2014 UCLA women’s tennis team that won an NCAA Division 1 women’s tennis national championship. This will be her third appearance in Charleston as a player after serving as a tournament ambassador for the past three years hosting clinics, talk shows and fan meet-and-greets throughout the event.
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The wild cards join a field that is headlined by World No. 5 and 2025 Charleston champion Jessica Pegula, World No. 6 and two-time 2025 Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova, and World No. 11 and two-time Charleston semifinalist Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia. Also competing are: World No. 12, 2020 Olympic gold medalist and 2022 Charleston champion Belinda Bencic of Switzerland; World No. 17 and 2025 Guadalajara champion Iva Jovic of the United States; World No. 18, 2025 Australian Open champion and 2019 Charleston champion Madison Keys of the United States; World No. 20 and 2025 Monterrey champion Diana Shnaider of Russia; and World No. 27, Lowcountry standout and 2025 Merida champion Emma Navarro of the United States.
Stephens joins former champions Pegula, Keys and Bencic in the 2026 Charleston field.
To round out the tournament field, six players will earn entry into the main draw via qualifying competition. 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 attracts more than 90,000 attendees each year on Daniel Island.
