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WTA Travel Guide: Charleston

WTA Travel Guide: Charleston

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WTA Travel Guide: Charleston

Walking along the cobblestone streets of Charleston, South Carolina often makes visitors feel like they’ve entered another century. Add that to the beautiful parks, open-air markets, and some of the best food in the United States and you will quickly understand why Charleston is one of the most visited cities in the United States.

With help from our guest contributor and former Volvo Car Open champion Samantha Stosur, this edition of the WTA Travel Guide lets you know where to stay, where to eat and what to do on your next trip to Charleston.

WATCH THE MATCHES

Just outside of downtown Charleston lies the charming Davis Island, home to the Family Circle Tennis Center and the 2016 Volvo Car Open. A WTA event since 1973, the Volvo Car Open boasts one of the most impressive former champions list of any tournament on tour, with previous winners including Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, and Angelique Kerber.

The 2016 Volvo Car Open runs April 2 – April 10, with qualifying on April 2 & 3 and main draw running from April 4 – 10. Matches start at 10 AM each day, with night sessions each night at 7 PM starting on April 5. For tickets, click here.

If you can’t make it to the matches this year, you’re in luck because the Volvo Car Open is proud to be able to provide live streaming from all outer courts and practice courts throughout the week through Stre.am.com. Click here to watch.

Known for the family-friendly environment, fan engagement initiatives, and cozy atmosphere that lets fans get up-close and personal with their favorite players, the Volvo Car Open is one of the players’ favorite stops during the season. For a list of all of the activities happening throughout the week of the tournament, check out the Fan Guide and the events page.

WHERE TO STAY

Settled in the heart of downtown Charleston, the Belmond Charleston Place is the perfect place to stay during your trip. With 435 guest rooms and suites, the Belmond Charleston Place combines historic charm with modern amenities, such as the award-winning Charleston Grill, rooftop pool, and spa. The central location makes it ideal for walking to restaurants, sights and nightlife.

WHERE TO EAT

Charleston boasts some of the best restaurants in the country and offers something delicious for everyone. While nearly impossible to choose the best, here are a couple of the WTA Travel Guide’s favorites:

For good ‘ole fashioned Southern hospitality and one of the best steaks you’ll ever have, head to Halls Chophouse. Family-owned and operated, Halls Chophouse is listed as Trip Advisor’s #5 best restaurant in the United States and each member of the staff makes sure each guest feel as welcome and special as possible.

Head to Basil for refined Thai food in a more trendy setting. Grab a table or sit up at the bar in front of the open kitchen to watch the chefs at work making specialties like Pad Thai or Basil Duck.

WHAT TO DO

The beautiful weather in Charleston lends itself to plenty of outdoor activities and exploring the city by foot. Named Charleston’s most visited attraction, and one of the oldest public markets in the United States, the Charleston City Market features 300 vendors selling everything from artwork to home goods to local cuisine. The market is open Monday to Sunday 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM. Also, stop by the market after dinner on Friday and Saturday from 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM for the night market.

If you’re looking for the perfect picnic spot or to see beautiful historic fountains, head over to Waterfront Park. Featuring floral displays, a great lawn area and plenty of sunshine, Waterfront Park is the ideal way to spend an afternoon.

SAMANTHA STOSUR’S FAVORITE SPOTS

Our guest contributor, Samantha Stosur, knows a thing or two about Charleston. After winning the title in 2010, Stosur has been a constant in the player field and ranks Charleston as one of her favorite stops on tour.

The city itself is one of my favorite cities in the States so I love to come back each year. The hospitality of the South really makes you feel welcome and makes me want to see as much of the city as possible and go to as many places as I can while I’m there.

Sam Stosur  Sam Stosur

The tournament is always so well supported. Crowds are great and they get into any of the matches – whether it’s qualifying singles, doubles or the main draw.

Make sure to eat at as many restaurants as possible. I love the food in Charleston, there are so many great places to pick from. My favorite restaurant is FIG. I’ve eaten there many times over the years and always love it. Andrew behind the bar makes a mean cocktail too so enjoy trying a creation from him. Unfortunately I have to wait until the end of the tournament to have a cocktail!

Also I enjoy the horse carriage tours. I’ve done it a few times and each time I hear something new about the city. It’s a great way to get around and explore.

Sam Stosur

I’d love to make it to Charleston at another time of the year to visit for a holiday.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Yulia Putintseva made another thrilling comeback at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, shocking BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion and No.2 seed Dominika Cibulkova, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. The Kazakh’s first Top 5 win helps reach her first WTA final where she’ll face Kristina Mladenovic, who also triumphed in three sets against Russia’s Natalia Vikhlyantseva, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

“It’s unbelievable,” Putintseva said after the match. “I’m very happy that the crowd was behind me this time around. Yesterday they supported more Svetlana and today they cheered for me. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.”

Putintseva was playing her first Premier-level semifinal and coming off her third career Top 10 win over No.3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, giving the more experienced Cibulkova the upper hand from the start. The Slovak worked through a few tense opening games to edge ahead by a break and take the opening set with the help of nine winners.

Cibulkova fell behind a break to start the second, but after winning three straight games to level the set, a first final of 2017, a career-high ranking of No.4, and a 399th career win all appeared on the cards for the reigning WTA Finals champion.

But the unseeded 22-year-old had other ideas, holding and breaking serve in quick succession to level the match, cleaning up her side of the stat sheet with 12 winners to only eight unforced errors; Cibulkova maintained an almost exact inverse, hitting eight winners to 13 errors.

The final set was reminiscent of Friday’s quarterfinal between Putintseva and Kuznetsova, as the World No.5 twice led by a break, getting within two points of a 5-3 lead.

“I never give up and always try to dictate my game no matter what. And this is what I was trying to do throughout this match.

But Putintseva continued to play her best tennis when her back was up against the wall, winning four straight games to book her first-ever WTA final in two hours and 19 minutes.

By match’s end, it was clear that consistency had gotten the job done for Putintseva, who matched Cibulkova in winners (27 each), but hit 11 fewer errors (43 to 32).

“It’s my first WTA final, but actually I don’t feel any pressure here. I am enjoying every moment I spend on the court.”

Waiting for her in the championship match will be Mladenovic, herself enjoying a career-best run that began with an emphatic win over Australian Open runner-up Venus Williams. The Frenchwoman back up the upset by dethroning defending champion Roberta Vinci and remained composed after losing the first set to Vikhlyantseva, a rising Russian set to make her Top 100 debut after reaching her first semifinal at a WTA Premier event.

“She’s really powerful, and all credit to her in the first set,” Mladenovic said after the match. “I was like, ‘Geez, this is going very fast.’ She was playing very heavy with her groundstrokes, and hitting a lot of winners.

“I just dug really deep and I was trying to stay positive. I said to myself that if she managed to maintain this high energy and intensity for the whole match, good job. But I’m very happy to have stayed in the match long enough to turn it around.”

An unfamiliar opponent to many, Vikhlyantseva had previously pushed Mladenovic to three sets in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last summer, helping the unseeded Frenchwoman prepare for what became a three set battle.

“I think it was a very good match, high intensity from both of us. I think the difference today was my ability to maintain that intensity from first point to last. I felt that way mentally the whole match, but I could sense her start to drop her level physically, be it with footwork, and the legs. She became less precise, and because she takes so many risks from the baseline, she started to make more unforced errors.

Mladenovic and Putintseva have played four times before, splitting their head-to-head at two wins apiece; Putintseva won their most recent meeting last year at the BNP Paribas Open in straight sets.

“She’s in great form, playing really well. She’s a big fighter, who runs down a lot of balls. I’ll have to keep playing the same way I have all week, being aggressive, coming forward, and trying to dictate play with my forehand. I’ll try to find angles and try to find my game towards the net.”

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Schiavone Overpowers Cornet In Katowice

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

KATOWICE, Poland – Francesca Schiavone is into her second quarterfinal of the year with a straight sets win over Alizé Cornet at the Katowice Open, 7-5(6), 6-1.

Watch live action from Katowice this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Although her ranking has dipped to just outside the Top 100, Schiavone, a WTA veteran, won her seventh career title earlier this year in Rio de Janeiro. In Katowice, she was up against Frenchwoman Alizé Cornet, who was making her way back to the tour after a two-month injury layoff.

Despite Cornet’s inspired performance in the previous round – she had to battle through a tough three-set challenge from Bulgarian qualifier Isabella Shinikova – the Frenchwoman couldn’t make it past one of her toughest rivals. Schiavone’s mastery of the angles kept confounding and wrong-footing Cornet, the same way she has done to win nine of their previous 11 encounters.

The two played a tortuous and highly competitive first set, which saw Cornet break Schiavone while the Italian was serving for the set at 5-4 then go on to send it to a tiebreak. A couple of Cornet’s double faults gave Schiavone the edge, and she grabbed the first set after an hour and 10 minutes.

The second set was more one-way traffic for the Italian, despite Cornet throwing everything she had at her opponent. A line-to-line rally at 2-0, 40-30 left both players out of breath and laughing, even going up to shake hands at the net. Schiavone quickly closed out the set 7-5(6), 6-1.

“It was a really tough match, a close match, in the first set,” Schiavone said. “Then I managed to win the tie-break playing aggressive – I took my chances.

“The match was really in the balance until then, but in the second set I think [her level] went a little bit down and mine went up.”

Joining Schiavone in the Katowice quarterfinals are No.7 seed Timea Babos and Polish favorite Magda Linette – who both fought their way back to victory after dropping the first set 1-6 – as well as Pauline Parmentier.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

TALLINN, Estonia: Heather Watson soared to a straight-sets win to give Great Britain the best possible start in the Fed Cup opener against Portugal.

Under the watchful eye of new captain Anne Keothavong, Watson made an impressive start to her country’s campaign, beating Ines Murta 6-1, 6-1.

The 2016 Wimbledon mixed doubles champion then assumed her role as “chief supporter”, ready to cheer on her teammates – first Johanna Konta in the singles, then Jocelyn Rae and Laura Robson in the doubles. “I’ll get the pom-poms, and the tambourines!” she joked.

Her cheerleading obviously worked – Konta cruised through her singles rubber 6-2, 6-4 against Michelle Larcher de Brito, giving Great Britain an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie. It was good preparation for the British No.1, who will be seen in WTA Tour action next in Dubai from February 19.

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