The Charleston Open continues this week as Danielle Collins faces Jelena Ostapenko while Madison Keys goes up against Anna Kalinskaya in the competition’s round of 16. Damien Kayat previews.
2025 WTA Tour – WTA 500
Charleston Open
LTP-Daniel Island
Selected RO16 – 3 – 4 April
3rd April
Danielle Collins 67/100 | Jelena Ostapenko 23/20
This match promises to be an aural assault, with two of the tour’s biggest grunters locking horns in what is sure to be a thrilling encounter.
Defending champion Danielle Collins hasn’t quite been able to replicate the form that saw her change her retirement plans last year. She was on absolute fire this time last year, becoming the first woman to win back-to-back in Miami and Charleston since Serena in 2013.
The American has adopted a light schedule this season (this is just her 5th tournament of the year). She created a bit of a stir at the Aussie Open, openly goading the rambunctious Aussie crowd during her victory over home favourite Destanee Aiava.
She looked solid in Miami, beating Cirstea and Masarova before a creditable 6-4, 6-4 loss to eventual champ Sabalenka. She just improved to 6-4 for the year with a commanding opening-round victory over Robin Montgomery.
She served magnificently against Montgomery, firing five aces and winning 80% of her first-serve points.
2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko remains one of the most frustrating figures in the sport. The big-hitting Latvian plays high-octane, all-or-nothing tennis, resulting in some schizophrenic results.
She improved to 7-8 for the season after a solid 7-5, 6-2 win over Louisa Chirico. She has suffered six opening-round defeats this year, coming into this year’s Charleston Open on a dismal four-match losing streak.
However, she produced some amazing tennis in Doha, reaching a 3rd career WTA 1000 final with a runner-up finish at the Qatar Open (she thrashed Swiatek 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals). This crazy yo-yo form is just prime Ostapenko.
The Latvian truly announced herself during the 2017 clay-court season, reaching the final of this event before claiming an unexpected French Open crown. She has failed to reach a clay-court singles final since that Roland Garros win.
Her relatively flat hitting style is perhaps not ideally suited to success on clay. Having said that, these surfaces are pretty slick and give the Latvian a bit more purchase for her humungous groundstrokes.
The Verdict: Collins to win in straight sets 29/20
Ostapenko leads the head-to-head 2-1. However, Collins won their most recent meeting at the 2023 San Diego Open. These two play a very similar brand of first-strike tennis, looking to go for winners at the earliest convenience.
I think this will be a stop-start affair with very few extended rallies (the unforced errors count will almost certainly surpass the winners count). Collins looked more impressive in her opener and is generally more reliable than the Latvian.
Ostapenko is currently rocking a seven-match Charleston winning streak and her greater consistency of shot should prove decisive.
4th April
Madison Keys 1/4 | Anna Kalinskaya 28/10
Madison Keys improved to 20-3 for the season after a 6-3, 7-6 win over compatriot Caroline Dolehide. The 2019 Charleston champ held off a spirited 2nd set surge from Dolehide, squandering seven match points before finally getting the job done.
Keys enjoyed a dream start to her 2025 campaign, winning her 9th career title in Adelaide before finally capturing that elusive maiden slam in Melbourne. She carried on that great form at Indian Wells, reaching the semifinals only to be pulverized 6-0, 6-1 by Aryna Sabalenka.
The nature of that defeat perhaps knocked her back a bit (she lost to an inspired Alexadra Eala in Miami). Keys is an accomplished clay-court player who understands the nuances of the surfaces.
Keys reached the French Open semifinals in 2018 and has reached the semifinals or better at both WTA 1000 clay-court events (Madrid and Rome).
She won in Strasbourg last year, and she has a compelling record in this event, finishing as runner-up in 2015 before claiming the title in 2019. These courts are almost tailor-made for her, as they are quite quick by regular clay-court standards.
26-year-old Russian Anna Kalinskaya was in dominant form in her opening Charleston clash, overpowering American Caty McNally 6-1, 6-4. The result improved her 2025 record to a meagre 5-7.
She started the year in disappointing fashion, picking up a virus that prevented her from competing at the Aussie Open (where she reached the quarterfinals last year).
She enjoyed her best result of the season in a low-key Singapore Tennis Open, withdrawing from her semifinal clash with Ann Li. That began a sequence of four successive defeats for the aggressive Russian.
She finally broke that ugly sequence of results in Miami, thrashing Uchijima before an epic three-set defeat to hardcourt dynamo Jessica Pegula.
Kalinskaya’s brand of aggressive tennis appears far better suited to hard and grass-courts. A finalist at last year’s WTA 1000 event in Dubai, Kalinskaya could do with a solid clay-court campaign this year.
The Verdict: Keys to win in three
Keys leads the head-to-head 1-0, beating the Russian in three sets at the 2022 French Open. Keys has been in terrific form this year and has a far better pedigree on these surfaces.
However, Kalinskaya has looked like a different player in her last two outings, pushing Pegula all the way in Mimia before a resounding opening win in Charleston. I think this match could be closer than many suspect. Still, Keys should have enough to prevail in three.
