Danielle Collins (photos by Daniel Ward) "...I think for women with endometriosis, what I seem to have learned--and I'm not a medical expert, but I've talked to a couple of different people in the field--is that a lot of people are under the impression that painful periods are normal. Sometimes they can be normal, but sometimes they can be something more, and I just really encourage people to talk to their medical provider and to go annually to have their annual gynecological exam.  "I think it's really important that you communicate with those medical professionals and every on ..read more

Daria Kasatkina (photo by Daniel Ward) "So if you want to be--if you want to compete on the good level, you have to always improve things. And I am one of the players who needs to--so if I want to compete, I have to be always on the highest level of my ability. So I have to be always in the best shape, which is tough to keep it all the time. But that's what I am trying to do all the time." --Daria Kasatkina      "I feel like I've been asked a lot of times, do you think because you announced your retirement, you're playing more freely? I think when that's being said, i ..read more

Daria Kasatkina (l) and Danielle Collins (photos by Daniel Ward) Today, 4th seed and 2017 champion Daria Kasatkina and Danielle Collins advanced to the final of the Credit One Charleston Open. Kasatkina upset top seed Jessica Pegula 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (5) in a well-played, momentum-swinging match that lasted two hours and 47 minutes. Collins defeated 3rd seed Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-3. Maria Sakkari (photo by Daniel Ward) Collins is now on a twelve-match streak after winning in Miami and reaching the final in Charleston. She has show no sign of either physical or mental fatigue thr ..read more

Maria Sakkari (photo by Daniel Ward) 3rd seed Maria Sakkari advanced to the semifinals of the Credit One Charleston Open tonight when she defeated 9th seed and 2021 champion Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 6-4 in the day's last quarterfinal. "I played really well, probably the best match I've played here," Sakkari said. "Obviously the more I play on clay, the more I get used to the surface, and just felt very confident today while I was playing, and yeah, I knew it was going to be tough, but I just trusted myself." Veronika Kudermetova (photo by Daniel Ward) Sakkari will face of ..read more

Danielle Collins (photo by Daniel Ward) She did it again. Miami champion Danielle Collins defeated 11th seed Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-4 in the third final of the day at the Credit One Charleston Open. Following the match, Collins said that earlier this year, and toward the end of last year, she was playing well and had some close matches. "It's just like the difference of 'this much' in some of those outcomes, and the margins can be so slim, especially in these long three-set matches. And when sets are going 7-5 and 7-6 -- and I had a lot of those last year--and it was just a few points ..read more

Jessica Pegula (photo by Daniel Ward) Not to be outdone by Dasha Kasatkina and Jaqueline Cristian, number 1 seed Jessica Pegula and number 12 seed Victoria Azarenka put on their own thrill show in the second quarterfinal of the day at the Credit One Charleston Open. The match, which lasted two hours and 36 minutes, brought out the best in both players, and the third set tiebreak brought fans to the edges of their seats. Victoria Azarenka (photo by Daniel Ward) Pegula took the first set 6-4, Azarenka took the second, 6-3. The third set was as tense as a set could be, and afte ..read more

Daria Kasatkina (photo by Daniel Ward) They held very long rallies. They zinged balls into the corners. They hit lobs, they spun against the wind, they hit more drop (successful) shots than I could count. 4th seed Daria Kasatkina and Jaqueline Cristian put on a show that had everyone in the stands excited inside the Credit One Stadium on Daniel Island in today's opening Credit One Charleston Open singles quarterfinal.  Jaqueline Cristian (photo by Daniel Ward) Cristian, who is unseeded, was somewhat of a surprise quarterfinalist. She had defeated both 2019 Madison Keys ..read more

Danielle Collins (photo by Daniel Ward) It was a busy day for Miami champion Danielle Collins. She had to play two singles matches at the Credit One Charleston Open because most of yesterday's play was rained out. This morning, Collins played her second round match against defending champion and 2nd seed Ons Jabeur, and won it, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. It was one of those matches in which the crowd was more or less cheering for both players; Charleston fans are very big on Collins, but they also have strong positive feelings for Jabeur. After the match, Jabeur said: "I think it was up-and-down ..read more

Sal Kindel (l) and Lynn Coursey (photo by Daniel Ward) This year’s Credit One Charleston Open Volunteers of the Year, Lynn Coursey and Sal Kindel, both volunteer for the media at the tournament, and some of us have known them for many years. Coursey, in fact, has a bit of a media cult following because of her “She’s…here!" introduction as each player enters the the room for her press conference. Coursey and Kindel (photo by Daniel Ward) Both Coursey and Kindel have worked as Charleston Open volunteers for a long time—Coursey for 20 years, and Kindel for 18. “We both starte ..read more

Jessica Pegula (photo by Daniel Ward) The featured match tonight in Charleston lasted almost two hours and twenty-seven minutes, but--to observers--it sometimes felt as if it were dragging on even longer. Top seed Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova experienced so many momentum swings that it was difficult to get a read on what was taking place. Anisimova took the first set 6-3 in a pretty decisive fashion, going up 5-0 before Pegula was able to assert herself. The former world number 25 won that set 6-3, but then had to face a determined top seed. To make her job even harder, she al ..read more