The Australian Open – Connections from Daniel Island to Down Under

When the Women’s Tennis Association relocated the Family Circle Cup, now the Credit One Charleston Open, to Daniel Island in 2001, my casual interest in women’s tennis piqued. When I started the paper in 2003, my attention to tennis and its connection to Daniel Island became more intense.

 

Each year, I follow the top women tennis players in anticipation of their 10-day stint at Daniel Island in the spring. The tennis season starts in Australia and the highlight of January is the grand slam event – the Australian Open (AO).

 

Held in Melbourne, the sports capital of Australia, the AO features the very best men and women tennis players in the world.

 

In anticipation of our visit to Australia, my Australian daughter-in-law purchased tickets to Margaret Court Arena for day one of the AO. After a delightful road trip along the coast from their home near Sydney to Melbourne, we joined the throngs of tennis fans for the first day of the tournament.

 

Perfect weather matched our good fortune of seeing two women’s tennis matches with strong Daniel Island connections.

 

The first match of the day featured American and World No. 3 Jessica Pegula, who trained at the former Family Circle Tennis Center under Coach Michael Joyce in the mid-2010s. She won the match, defeating Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, 6-0, 6-1. Another connection from back home involved the Buffalo Bills. Earlier in the day, the Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins in the NFL playoffs wild card round. A Bills’ fan proudly displayed his team’s flag during the match, as Pegula’s parents own the Bills’ franchise.

 

We also were treated to a match involving two former AO champions – Victoria Azarenka defeated Sofia Kenin in a hard fought match, 6-4, 7-6. Both Azarenka and Kenin have been fixtures over the years at the Charleston Open.

 

As we drove out of town along Hume Highway toward Canberra last week, we happily followed Shelby Rogers’ first round match on the radio as we searched the countryside for kangaroos, koalas and wombats. A former Family Circle Cup ball girl and a local Daniel Island tennis sensation, who spent her youth on the island and currently calls Mount Pleasant home, Rogers won her first match, 6-4 6-3 over the Dutch player Arianne Hartono, but lost in the second round to World No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus.

 

You’ll be able to catch Pegula and Rogers at the Credit One Charleston Open when it returns to Daniel Island, April 1-9. Azarenka or Kenin have not yet announced their Charleston plans.