Tennis fans, rise up — the Credit One Charleston Open is nearly here. With newly renovated facilities and a recent distinction as the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year, the tournament will bring the top-rated female tennis players in the world to the Lowcountry court.

Swedish player Belinda Bencic, ranked ninth in the world, will be returning to Charleston to vie for the trophy again. Only nine players have been repeat winners since the Charleston Open began in 1973 (former No. 1 player Chris Evert won eight times) and with the deepest playing field yet, Bencic will have her work cut out for her.

“Belinda played great last year. She went from winning here to now she’s in the top 10 in the world. So I believe Belinda continues to play really good tennis,” Tournament Director Bob Moran said. “They’re playing really good tennis and it’s going be tough, but if there is one player to do it, Belinda can definitely do it.”

Former Charleston champions Veronika Kudermetova (2021), Madison Keys (2019), Daria Kasatkina (2017) and Sloane Stephens (2016) will also be looking for a repeat victory in the Lowcountry. Charleston natives Shelby Rogers and Emma Navarro will also compete in the tournament, fighting for their first WTA title on home soil.

Over 40 of the top 100 women’s tennis players in the world have entered the main draw playing field, with more entering as the tournament draws near.

U.S. player Sofia Kenin, who has a career-high rank of World No. 4, was awarded a main draw wild card into the Charleston Open. Kenin was named 2020 WTA Player of the Year and is the youngest American player to win a Grand Slam women’s title since Serena Williams in 1999.

Aryna Sabalenka, who hails from Belarus and is ranked second in the world, will enter the playing field coming off the high of her first grand slam victory at the Australian Open in January. Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina, former World No. 3, will be making her return to the playing field after taking a year off from tournaments.

The Charleston Open marks the first tournament of the year played on a green clay court, which comes with its own set of challenges. Players have primarily been competing on hardcourts this season and clay is a different playing experience. Moran said this could result in some upsets early on in the tournament as players get accustomed to the change in surface.

“That’s why we see so much drama, as we say, in the first few rounds because once the players who come up opening weekend start getting a little practice on it, they win a match or two and they’re now used to it just like everybody else. But the first couple of rounds, we’ll definitely see some drama,” Moran said.

The qualifying weekend begins on April 1 and the first round is set for April 3 at the Credit One Stadium in Daniel Island. For single-session tickets and a full tournament schedule, visit creditonecharlestonopen.com.