The first week of the 2025 WTA clay court season includes the prestigious Charleston Open. There are always terrific crowds each year for this unique event in South Carolina, played on green clay. Australian Open champion Madison Keys and the finalist at the ongoing Miami Open, Jessica Pegula, are the top-ranked players on the entry list. A few withdrawals have also weakened the entry list slightly. This article reports on those who have withdrawn and names their replacements.
Three Players Withdraw From Charleston Open
Which Players Have Withdrawn?
Paula Badosa was the most successful player to withdraw from the Charleston Open. The former world No. 2 has been struggling with a lower back injury for almost two years. After returning from nearly six months out in 2023 at the start of 2024, she looked to be over the problem and reached the 2025 Australian Open semifinal. Unfortunately, she withdrew from the 2025 Indian Wells Open because of a recurrence of the injury. Badosa played in Miami, but could not play in the round of 16 due to the problem playing up again. The Spaniard has sensibly decided to take more rest and recovery time.
Magda Linette was another player to withdraw from the Charleston Open. Unlike Badosa, this does not seem to be injury-related. The Pole had an excellent run to the quarterfinal of the Miami Open, including a victory against 2024 WTA Finals champion Coco Gauff. She probably wants to rest before Poland’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifying matches the week after.
Renata Zarazua is the other player who will not feature at the WTA 500 tournament. The Mexican posted an Instagram picture of herself using an exercise bike and confirmed she needed it to train for now because of an injury. It is unknown when Zarazua expects to return to the court.
Who Replaces Those Players on the Entry List?
Anna Blinkova takes Badosa’s place at the Charleston Open. The 2022 Transylvania Open champion has had a solid, if unspectacular, start to 2025. However, she did record an impressive triumph against Diana Shnaider in the round of 64 at the Miami Open, showing how dangerous her game can be when it flows.
Linette’s decision to withdraw presents an opportunity to Taylor Townsend. Before the Miami Open, she had only managed one singles victory in 2025, but she found some inspiration in Florida during wins against Ann Li and 19th seed Yulia Putintseva. Townsend’s tournament was ended in the round of 32 by Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng.
Two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist Ajla Tomljanovic is the other player to enter the Charleston Open entry list. The Australian’s level has been inconsistent for some time. She did not win a main draw match in Indian Wells or Miami but reached the semifinal of the ATX Open in Austin before those events.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
