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Tennis Jessica Pegula won the Charleston Open in 2025. Matthew Stockman / Getty Images The WTA Charleston Open has doubled its prize money to $2. 3 million (£1. 7 million), bringing it in line with prize money expectations for ATP Tour events of the same level. The tournament, held in late March and early April in South Carolina, is a WTA 500, a couple of rungs down from the Grand Slams and named for the rankings points awarded to the winner. The minimum prize money for a 500-level event on the WTA Tour is $1, 206, 446, but sponsor Credit One Bank will offer almost double that, plus an extra $200, 000 which will go toward player benefit programs run by the tour. Advertisement Ben Navarro, father of WTA top-20 player Emma and a billionaire who made his money in debt collection and credit facilities, owns the Charleston Open and holds the license to the ATP / WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open. He is a significant minority owner of Credit One. In 2025, the Cincinnati Open awarded just over $750, 000 to its women’s champion, and just over $1. 1 million to its men’s singles champion. The tournament last year unveiled a $260-million renovation, of which Navarro contributed approximately half the funding. “Offering equal prize money is about respecting the players and the work they put in, and aligning the tournament with the value of the game, ” Navarro said of the Charleston Open’s move. The WTA Tour said that the move represents the first time a WTA 500 event has proactively offered a prize pot in line with its men’s counterparts, as the women’s tour moves toward equal prize money at all tournaments of this level by 2033. It also pledged three years ago to have equal prize money at WTA 1000 and 500 combined events by 2027. Venus Williams, the seven-time Grand Slam champion who successfully lobbied for Wimbledon to become the final Grand Slam to offer equal prize money in 2007, said in a news release of the Charleston Open’s prize money increase: “This is a huge moment for the legacy of our sport which sends a powerful message to the players, fans and the future of tennis. It shows real progress and a belief in the value of women’s sport. ” Jessica Pegula, the world No. 6 and last year’s champion, added: “Seeing a tournament like Charleston commit to equal prize money matters. It shows that the work we put in and the level we compete at are being recognized. When tournaments continue to invest equally, it sends a clear message to current players and the next generation about where the sport is headed. ” Pegula, who is also a member of the WTA Players’ Council, has led the group of players pushing the Grand Slams for increased prize money and greater consultation and welfare contributions. The $200, 000 being contributed to player benefits by the Charleston Open will go to the Women’s Tennis Benefit Association (WTBA), which offers services like a pension plan, health insurance and subsidized college tuition and online degrees through the University of Florida and Indiana University East. Advertisement Pegula and her fellow top-10 players on the ATP and WTA Tours say that their demands for change have not been addressed, while the Grand Slams say that the ongoing antitrust lawsuit lodged by the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA) is precluding productive discussions. During the Australian Open, Pegula told The Athletic that the group of players had felt “a little let down” by the majors’ response to their demands, which were set out in meetings and two letters last year. The same month, the player group rejected an offer from Wimbledon, the French Open and U. S. Opens (made on December 23) to set up a player council and have further talks during next month’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. In a letter sent to those three tournaments rejecting the offer, which The Athletic has reviewed,  the players said:  “Your letter focuses primarily on establishing a Player Council structure and does not address the substantive issues raised in proposal letters — specifically, prize money and player welfare/benefits. “While the players recognize that governance structures can play an important role, they are concerned that prioritizing council formation over the core economic issues risks becoming a process discussion that delays rather than advances meaningful progress. ” The letter also asked the majors to provide “substantive responses, individually or collectively, to the specific proposals the players have put forward regarding prize money at a fair share of Grand Slam revenues and player health, welfare, and benefits contributions” before the players commit to another meeting. The four Grand Slams did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the letter, and whether Charleston’s move will have any impact on the discussions between the players and the majors remains to be seen. The main draw of the event, which is played on green clay, runs from March 30 to April 5. It’s the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Charlie Eccleshare is a senior tennis writer for The Athletic, having previously covered soccer as the Tottenham Hotspur correspondent for five years. He joined in 2019 after five years writing about football and tennis at The Telegraph. Follow Charlie on Twitter @CDEccleshare