Most every year, the WTA makes a stop in Charleston, South Carolina, and although the coronavirus put paid to the 2020 edition of the Charleston Open, fans will still have a chance to see some of the game’s brightest lights in action. That is thanks to the announcement of the Credit One Bank Invitational, which will see a 16 WTA players, including two Grand Slam champions, take to the court in Charleston, with the tournament set to start on June 23rd.
Unlike a regular WTA Tour event, the Credit One Bank International will see the 16 players divided into two teams, set to be captained by Bethanie Mattek Sands and Madison Keys. And amongst the players set to battle under their tutelage are the USA’s Sofia Kenin, who won the Australian Open earlier this year, and Bianca Andreescu of Canada, who won her maiden Grand Slam title in Flushing Meadows last September.
The Credit One Bank Invitational is the latest exhibition event to be announced as tennis moves forward following the suspension of the regular season prior to the Sunshine Double. Perennial crowd favourite Dustin Brown led the field for the Tennis Point Series in Germany and earlier this month the UTR Pro Series, held in Palm Beach, Florida, saw the first tennis played in anger in the United States, with Reilly Opelka winning the men’s event before the final day of the women’s edition was washed out by rain.
World #1 Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, is also planning an imminent return to the court for the Adria Tour set to be played in the Balkans, with Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem also set to play. But the Capital One Bank Invitational will be the largest event yet when it begins in late June and will as a result provide a crucial test for tennis’ immediate future. Fortunately, the success of the UTR Pro Series and Tennis Point Series suggests that the exhibition has every chance of proving a success, particularly due to the number of stars assembled.
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