Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova, and defending champion Danielle Collins made a strong start for the American contingent in the second round of the WTA 500 Credit One Charleston Open. All three players secured their spots in the Round of 16 on Tuesday evening with impressive victories.
No. 2 seed Keys faced a challenging path into the next round, ultimately winning in straight sets. The reigning Australian Open champion overcame fellow American Caroline Dolehide 6-3, 7-6(4) after needing eight match points.
Keys held a lead of a set and a break, and had four match points at 6-3, 5-4. Dolehide fought back, saving those and two more in the subsequent game, leveling the second set in a powerful exchange.
Keys, currently at a career-high ranking of World No. 5, maintained her composure in the tiebreak to finally defeat her compatriot, marking her 20th win of the year.
The path is open for Keys to potentially claim her second Charleston title. Her previous victory at this event was in 2019, where she defeated Caroline Wozniacki to win her first clay-court title in a city she greatly enjoys.
`I have been coming here for over a decade, and I truly love it,` Keys stated. `[Bjorn Fratangelo and I] were married here, and I always feel like this is one of my most cherished places worldwide. I am delighted to be back playing here.`
Collins Continues Title Defense: Following Keys on Credit One Stadium, Collins began her title defense with a victory over another American player. As the No. 7 seed, Collins defeated Robin Montgomery 6-3, 6-1 in 1 hour and 9 minutes, extending her winning streak in Charleston to seven matches.
Last year’s Charleston title was part of a 15-match winning streak for Collins, which propelled her back into the Top 10 rankings. Notably, she secured her first WTA 500 title here, just a week after winning her first WTA 1000 title at the 2024 Miami Open.
Collins displayed determination to maintain her Charleston streak, overpowering the 20-year-old Montgomery, who is close to breaking into the Top 100. Collins dominated the match, winning 80 percent of her first-serve points and preventing World No. 105 Montgomery from earning any break points.
`I am most pleased with my mindset and my relentlessness,` Collins commented after her win. `I focused on attacking my shots, not dwelling on mistakes, and allowing myself some breathing room.`
Anisimova Advances: The evening session at Credit One Stadium concluded with No. 8 seed Anisimova`s 6-2, 6-2 victory against Veronika Kudermetova, the 2021 Charleston champion. Anisimova had a previous record of 0-2 against Kudermetova but secured her first win against the former Top 10 player in this match.
Anisimova reached the semifinals in Charleston in 2022, her best performance at a WTA 500 event. She aims to surpass that result this week, during a period where she is arguably playing her best tennis. She captured her most significant career title at the WTA 1000 Doha in February and recently achieved a new career-high ranking of No. 16.
More updates to follow…
