The Credit One Charleston Open 2026 draw is up, and defending champion Jessica Pegula is set to defend her 2025 crown when the tournament kicks off today.
Rising teenager Iva Jovic, former champion Madison Keys, and a host of other notable clay court players will look to make Pegula’s title defense an uncomfortable one.
Read on for the Charleston Open 2026 draw breakdown, beginning Monday, March 30.
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Great Draw for Jessica Pegula
Jessica Pegula’s quarter really comes down to two names: Diana Shnaider and Eva Lys.
Shnaider has the power to make things uncomfortable, but Lys is still working her way back from injury and hasn’t looked sharp.
That leaves a pretty clear path for the defending champion Pegula. If she plays her normal, steady game, this should be smooth sailing into the later rounds.
Iva Jovic headlines a wide-open quarter.
This is the most chaotic quarter on the draw sheet, and we are here for it. Iva Jovic is the top seed, but she is still relatively new to this stage.
This is a real chance for her to make a statement.
The problem is Bianca Andreescu is in her section as a wildcard, and we all know what a motivated Bianca looks like.
Add in Anna Kalinskaya anchoring the bottom, Sofia Kenin, a former Grand Slam champion who knows how to win on clay, and Paula Badosa, another wildcard with a serious clay pedigree, and this quarter has upset written all over it.
Keys vs. Bencic Headlines Quarter 3
The most compelling quarterfinal on paper is right here.
Madison Keys and Belinda Bencic on opposite sides of Q3 is the matchup the draw gods delivered, and we are not complaining.
Keys has been playing some of the most powerful tennis of her career, and Charleston is basically her backyard.
Bencic is always dangerous and quietly one of the best movers on tour. Between them sit Sara Bejlek, Magdalena Frech, and Dayana Yastremska, all players capable of a surprise run.
Alexandrova’s Quarter to Lose
Ekaterina Alexandrova is the class of this section, but Elise Mertens will not roll over.
Alexandrova comes in as the No. 2 seed and lands in a relatively manageable bottom quarter, but Mertens at the top is no easy out.
She is a grinder, built for clay, and has the consistency to go deep in a tournament like this.
The American wildcard group is strong here, too.
Sloane Stephens, a former French Open champion, joins Hailey Baptiste, Ashlyn Krueger, and Caty McNally in this section.
Phil Naessens Final Thoughts
If I were defending 500 points, I would love Jessica Pegula’s draw.
She is playing extremely confident tennis, and there are not many players in her half who can stop her.
Anna Kalinskaya or Maria Sakkari could give her some trouble, and maybe Iva Jovic can put up a fight, but outside of that, Pegula looks set for the final.
Who she meets there is wide open. Belinda Bencic is playing as well as anyone right now, and maybe Madison Keys can tap into those past Charleston vibes to challenge her.
Ekaterina Alexandrova needs a reset. She has lost four of her last five and looks out of sorts, which makes her tough to trust.
Prediction: Pegula repeats
Phil Naessens is a tennis betting analyst and former tennis coach with decades of experience in player development and match analysis. He is the founder of Crush Rush News and host of the Crush & Rush Tennis Podcast, focusing on price-first betting strategy, market efficiency, and transparency in sports wagering.
