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11-time WTA champion Pegula is the first player announced for the 2027 field
CHARLESTON, S.C. – 2025 and 2026 Charleston champion and World No. 4 Jessica Pegula will return to defend her title at the Credit One Charleston Open, North America’s largest women’s-only professional tennis tournament, taking place March 27 – April 4, 2027. Pegula is looking to become the first tournament champion to win three titles in a row since Chris Evert won the event five times in a row from 1974-1978.
Pegula enters the 2027 Charleston Open after a season that featured some of the deepest tournament runs of her career. She won titles in Dubai, her fourth WTA 1000 crown, and in Charleston, where she beat Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-2, 6-2 to become the first player to defend the title there since Serena Williams in 2013. She also reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, the final in Berlin after a win over World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. She followed her grass season with back-to-back finals in Washington D.C. and Cincinnati and a third straight semifinal at the US Open in September. With 50+ tour-level wins this season, she extended her run to four straight year-end Top 10 finishes and five straight WTA Finals qualifications.
Off the court, Pegula has become a prominent leader in shaping the future of the sport. She is currently the chair of the Tour Architecture Council and serves on the WTA Player Council and the Grand Slam Player Advisory Council.
“We are incredibly proud to welcome Jessie Pegula to Charleston as our back-to-back champion,” said Bob Moran, President of Beemok Sports & Entertainment. “Jess is playing the best tennis of her career, and what makes us even prouder is the impact she’s having on the game. As a member of the tournament council, she is helping drive meaningful change for women’s tennis. We look forward to watching her go for the three-peat on Daniel Island.”
Pegula will compete in the Charleston main draw for the ninth time. She holds a 21–6 win-loss record and was a two-time semifinalist in 2023 and 2024 before capturing the titles in 2025 and 2026.
“Charleston just feels like home to me. Winning the Credit One Charleston Open back-to-back was such a great feeling, so of course now I want to go for the three-peat in 2027. I love playing in the Lowcountry and the crowds there bring so much energy. I always seem to end up in some big matches in Charleston and I can’t wait to be back to play in front of the fans again.”
Pegula has played a number of three-set matches in Charleston in recent years, including saving four match points against Victoria Azarenka in the 2024 quarterfinals, rallying from a set and a break down to defeat Danielle Collins in the 2025 quarterfinals and winning four straight three-setters on the way to the 2026 final.
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.
As the kickoff event of the clay season, the Credit One Charleston Open is held annually at Credit One Stadium and was named the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year from 2022-2025. The Credit One Charleston Open has offered equal prize money since 2026, when it became the first standalone WTA 500 tournament to voluntarily match comparable ATP 500 events. The change followed Credit One Bank’s April 2025 announcement extending its title partnership through 2031, a move that reflected the bank’s belief that women athletes deserve equal investment and opportunity and further cemented Charleston’s role as a leader on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
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.
Ticket packages are available for purchase at creditonecharlestonopen.com/ticket-packages or by calling (843) 856-7900 starting November 4. For additional information, please email info@creditonestadium.com or visit creditonecharlestonopen.com.
About the Credit One Charleston Open:
The Credit One Charleston Open is North America’s largest women-only tennis tournament. Founded in 1973, the event was formerly known as the Family Circle Cup and Volvo Car Open and relocated to Charleston, S.C., in 2001 from Hilton Head Island, S.C. In 2026, the tournament became the first standalone WTA 500 to offer equal prize money. Recognized as the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, the tournament traditionally attracts more than 90,000 spectators each year. It features a singles draw of 48 players, a qualifying draw of 24 players and a doubles draw of 16 players. In partnership with Tennis Channel and WTA Media, the Credit One Charleston Open is broadcast from the first ball struck in main draw competition to the last ball played in the finals, reaching audiences across the U.S. and through 174 international partners. The tournament receives more than 100 hours of live tennis coverage, engaging millions of fans worldwide. The Credit One Charleston Open is owned and operated by Charleston Tennis, LLC. For more information on the Credit One Charleston Open, visit creditonecharlestonopen.com, call (843) 856-7900, email info@charlestontennisllc.com, Facebook (Credit One Charleston Open), Twitter (@CharlestonOpen) or Instagram (@CreditOneCharlestonOpen).
About Credit One Bank:
Credit One Bank is one of the fastest-growing credit card issuers in the U.S. Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Las Vegas, Credit One Bank offers a full spectrum of credit card products including cash back and points-based cards as well as high-yield certificate of deposit and savings accounts. Credit One Bank is also an official partner of the Las Vegas Raiders and the Official Credit Card of NASCAR, the Vegas Golden Knights, and Best Friends Animal Society. Learn more at CreditOneBank.com, in our Newsroom, or on social media (@CreditOneBank) on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.
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Photo Credit: Credit One Charleston Open and Katelyn Mulcahy
