CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Volvo Car Open has added three top 15 players to its 2019 field – Aryna Sabalenka, Anastasija Sevastova and Ashleigh Barty. They join a strong international player field featuring Sloane Stephens, Caroline Wozniacki, Kiki Bertens, Madison Keys, Julia Goerges, Elise Mertens, Danielle Collins and Jelena Ostapenko. The 2019 tournament is scheduled for March 30 – April 7 on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina.
“We are ecstatic to announce that Aryna, Anastasija and Ash have entered the Volvo Car Open,” said Eleanor Adams, Volvo Car Open Tournament Manager. “Ash is one of the most well-rounded players on the tour, Anastasija is a returning VCO semifinalist and Aryna is making her Charleston debut!”
World No. 9 Sabalenka will compete in the Volvo Car Open for the first time in 2019. The 20-year-old has had a strong start to her season, winning the title in Shenzhen and reaching the semifinals in St. Petersburg. The Belarusian also won two titles in 2018, in Wuhan and New Haven, reached the finals in Eastbourne and Lugano and the semifinals in Cincinnati.
Ranked World No. 11, Sevastova recently made the fourth round of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals in Brisbane. She won the title in Bucharest last season and reached the finals in Beijing and Mallorca. She was a semifinalist at the 2018 US Open, as well as in Moscow, Charleston and Brisbane. The 2019 Volvo Car Open will be the Latvian’s sixth time competing in Charleston, where she also reached the quarterfinals in 2017.
Barty is ranked World No. 12 in singles and World No. 6 in doubles. Already in 2019 she made a splash in her home country of Australia, when she reached the finals in Sydney and the quarterfinals in Melbourne at the Australian Open. Last season she won the title in Zhuhai and Nottingham and reached the semifinals in Wuhan, Montreal and Strasbourg as well as the final in Sydney.
Earlier this month, all three players helped their respective countries win the Fed Cup World Group first round to reach the semifinals.
The nine day Volvo Car Open is the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America and attracts an average of 90,000 attendees and more than 100 of the top singles and doubles tennis players.
