There was an unmistakeable electric buzz in the air on Finals Sunday! During the first order of business, Jelena Ostapenko and Erin Routliffe, who had never played together as doubles partners prior to Charleston, defeated Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk 6-4, 6-2, to take home the title. Then came the singles. This was the first time two U.S. players have met in the finals at this event since Martina Navratilova defeated Jennifer Capriati on Hilton Head Island in 1990. Ultimately, top seed Jessica Pegula captured her first clay-court title, defeating Sofia Kenin, 6-3, 7-5, in this rare all-American matchup. While hugging her dog, Maddie, during the press conference afterwards, Jessica said “It’s my first clay-court title, which is really cool. To win it here in Charleston, it’s super special.” Later that evening, I met up with Jessica downtown for a few special portraits of the NEW CHAMPION!!!
It marks Pegula’s second singles title in her last four tournaments, a prolific stretch that has seen her reach three finals. Pegula will rise to No. 3 in the PIF WTA Rankings on Monday, usurping Coco Gauff as the top ranked American.
Being a former collegiate tennis player, one of my favorite assignments to photograph each year is the Credit One Charleston Open (formerly Volvo Car Open, and Family Circle Cup before that). I don’t follow basketball, football, or baseball. I sometimes keep up with soccer, since I also had a soccer scholarship. But I DO have a subscription to Tennis Channel! So it’s always exciting to be “in the trenches” at this amazing tennis tournament, among the incredible athletes that I follow throughout the year.
Having said that, it is also by far the HARDEST assignment I photograph each year! From the start of qualifying rounds, to the final photoshoot with the champion, I work a total of 9 12-hour days in a row. For my photographer friends who shoot weddings, imagine photographing 9 12-hour weddings in a row?!? Every day is a constant hussle…bouncing back and forth between covering multiple matches, vip appearances, autograph sessions, suite visits, national anthem singers, practice sessions, media appearances, press conferences, and so much more. Plus in between all that, I’m rushing back to the media center to download, cull, and transmit selects for the media team to use in press releases and on social media. But, I’ve been one of the official tournament photographers for almost 20 years now. I wouldn’t keep doing it if I didn’t absolutely love it!!!
This year the Credit One Charleston Open celebrates 25 years of award-winning tennis on Daniel Island, where for a quarter century, the world’s best players and finest fans have gathered for nine days of tennis excellence. As the largest women’s only professional tennis tournament in North America, the tournament welcomes nearly 90,000 tennis enthusiasts to the state-of-the-art Credit One Stadium. A WTA 500 event on the Hologic WTA Tour, the tournament features a singles draw of 48 players, a qualifying draw of 24 players and a doubles draw of 16 players. Voted the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year, the Credit One Charleston Open is recognized for excellence in staff and organization, passionate fan engagement, and its commitment to tennis and its athletes. This prestigious award, voted on by WTA players, highlights the event’s impact both on and off the court.
