"Oh yeah, our wedding! I forgot!" – Madison Keys back in Charleston for WTA 500 event

Madison Keys confirms her participation in the WTA 500 Charleston Open, which boasts a stellar lineup featuring four top-10 players and seven in the top 15. However, one of the standout names will be local favourite Keys, the recent Australian Open champion.

With this, the tournament welcomes its third Grand Slam champion in the draw, alongside Sofia Kenin (No. 44) and Jelena Ostapenko (No. 25), though there’s no doubt that Keys arrives with the strongest form.

The world No. 5 will be the second seed, just behind her compatriot Jessica Pegula (No. 4). She joins Zheng Qinwen (No. 8), Paula Badosa (No. 9), Emma Navarro (No. 11), and Daria Kasatkina among the top contenders.

Charleston holds a special place in Keys’ heart, as she tied the knot with her husband, former tennis player and now coach Bjorn Fratangelo, in the city just a few months ago during the off-season.

“I’m really excited. I was laughing the other day, thinking, ‘I feel like we were just in Charleston. Why were we just in Charleston? Oh, yeah, our wedding! I forgot!’ It feels like it was just yesterday, but also so many things have happened. We’re really excited to come back.”

In a recent interview with the tournament’s official media, Keys shared her love for Charleston, calling it one of her favourite stops on tour. “I think a big part of that is [tournament director] Bob Moran believed in me from a really young age, so I’ve been able to play the tournament many times. I was granted a wildcard a few times when I was still quite young and just starting on the tour. Just being able to come back every single year — I don’t think I’ve missed one. I love it there. The people are great, the fans are amazing.”

Since then, Keys’ career has evolved significantly. Known for deep runs in big tournaments, she had long struggled to take that final step to claim a Grand Slam. That changed this year, as she captured her first major title, eight years after a heartbreaking loss to Sloane Stephens in the 2017 US Open final.

Charleston marks the beginning of the clay season. A week after Miami, a few clay events take place in the United States before the top players head to Europe, where the majority of the swing unfolds, featuring WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, as well as Roland Garros.