This year, the Charleston Open has made tennis history.
The tournament, a beloved WTA 500 event, doubled the prize money on offer for the 2026 edition of the event to $2.5 million.
As per the WTA, the Charleston Open is now the first standalone WTA 500 event to proactively offer equal prize money, in line with what is required for an ATP 500 level event.
Jessica Pegula, the new chair of the WTA Tour Architecture Council, has offered her thoughts on the new prize money on offer in Charleston.
Jessica Pegula says new Charleston prize money ‘sets the standard even higher’ for women’s tennis
“I think it’s amazing that we have equal prize money to the other men’s 500s this year for the first time,” Pegula said on the Tennis Channel.
“I was able to win the tournament last year when they announced it right after the final and it was such a cool moment to be a part of.
“I think it sets the standard even higher for women’s tennis and creates, to me, a healthy competition on the Tour and we love to see people really stepping up and doing something different and making a difference in women’s sports.
“So, hopefully we can continue to see that at other tournaments throughout the year and it’s just an honour to be a part of this tournament.”
Pegula is absolutely correct – this is an extremely important move for women’s tennis, one that perhaps should have occurred earlier than it did.
As Pegula mentioned, one can hope that other WTA 500 events follow suit in the future and increase their own prize money pools to match those of ATP 500 events.
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The history of the Charleston Open
The Charleston Open was first held in 1973, and was first won by American player Rosemary Casals, who defeated compatriot Nancy Richey in the final.
The tournament became a WTA Tier Two event in 1988, and then a Tier One event in 1990. In 2009, the tournament became a ‘WTA Premier’ event.
However, the event was downgraded in 2020 to a WTA 500 event. A year later, the tournament was further downgraded – to a WTA 250 event.
The event was made a WTA 500 event once again in 2022, and has remained that way ever since.
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Jessica Pegula is the defending champion, and she is the favourite to win the title again this year.
Pegula has defeated Yulia Putintseva and Elisabetta Cocciaretto in her first two rounds. She will play Dian Shnaider in the quarter-finals.
