Tournament director excited for ‘new era’ ahead

Dear fans, 

 

Welcome to the 2022 Credit One Charleston Open, celebrating 50 years of excellence in women’s tennis. 

 

We have missed you! The past three years have not been the same without our fans and a lot has changed since we last saw you in 2019. While we were apart, we made it a priority to keep the spirit of the game and our tournament alive in new ways. We produced three made-for-TV tennis events, fully renovated our stadium and made upgrades across our grounds. We can’t wait for you to experience our brand new facility and enjoy all that it has to offer.

 

This year, we are honored to welcome Credit One Bank as the new title sponsor of our tournament. We first collaborated with their team in the summer of 2020, when we hosted the Credit One Bank Invitational, which was the very first live tennis event produced and broadcasted after the onset of the pandemic. We saw potential in a long-term partnership with Credit One Bank and knew their investment in Charleston and women’s tennis would be game-changing.

 

Credit One Bank is generously supporting our longtime commitment of providing free tournament tickets to kids. Our ultimate goal is to grow the game of tennis by inspiring the next generation of players through our event and the world-class athletes who compete here.

The future of this incredible sport is in great hands here in Charleston.

 

We are excited to continue our strong relationship with our partners at Volvo. They will continue as our “Official Vehicle” and you’ll be able to see all of their latest technologies on display throughout the grounds. They will take ownership of our Feature Court 2, the Althea Gibson Club Court powered by Volvo. Please stop by and check out all that Volvo Cars USA has to offer!

 

In addition to hosting world-class tennis, we are also committed to creating a sustainable footprint moving forward. This year, all tournament refuse will be recycled by our partners at RePower South, here in Berkeley County. The plastic bottles RePower recycles are turned into sustainable apparel by Vapor Elemental, another local company, who has supplied the sustainable uniforms worn by all our staff and volunteers. Eighteen recycled plastic bottles make one shirt. Change begins locally. Don’t worry about searching for special

recycling bins at the event; all materials will be collected in the same containers, then sorted and recycled at RePower South’s facility right here in Berkeley County.

 

On the court, we have an exceptional field featuring five Grand Slam champions, four past champions and a large contingent from Team USA, including our reigning NCAA champion. They will all be competing on brand new courts brought to us by our partners at Har-Tru.

The new Har-Tru Hy-Q system uses below-surface irrigation to create the ultimate clay court experience. Make sure to check out this new system at Har-Tru’s demonstration court in our fan experience area.

 

There are so many new ways to play off the court this year, too. From new dining experiences and entertainment spaces to our merchandise tent and Interactive Fan Zone on the grounds, this year’s event offers endless destinations and activities to keep you entertained between matches.

 

You’ll also have the chance to get an insider’s perspective of the tennis world with new programming. Visit with Tracy Austin and Pam Shriver during lunch and Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the afternoon at our Match Point Bar & Grill, where they will talk tennis every day on our Feature Stage. We’ll also have live music and two large video boards playing all of the on-court action, so you don’t miss a point!

 

We can’t wait for you to join us for the finest experience in women’s professional tennis in America’s favorite city. The Credit One Charleston Open team, along with our partners and more than 500 volunteers, are here to make your visit with us special.

 

A new era in tennis begins this April. 

 

See you then! Thank you!

 

Bob Moran 

Tournament Director