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Former top-10 player Elina Svitolina is set to make a return to the WTA tour at the Charleston Open — scheduled to be held between April 3 to 9 — after her year-long maternity break.
Officials on Saturday released the 64-player draw for the tournament, confirming Svitolina's participation. The Ukrainian has been handed a tough first opponent on return in the form of the dogged Yulia Putintseva.
Svitolina, who last played at the 2022 Miami Open, accepted a wildcard entry into the WTA 500 event which kicks off the clay-court season.
"Elina Svitolina. Is. Back. The former World No. 3 has accepted a main draw wild card to the #CharlestonOpen. This marks the Ukrainian's first time back on Tour since March 2022 & to the #Lowcountry since 2014. Join us in welcoming her back to the courts this April," an announcement from tournament officials read.
The former World No. 3 would not be entirely unhappy with the draw though. She has avoided any of the top eight seeds, who have been awarded a bye in the opening round.
A clay-court specialist of sorts, Putintseva brings her own set of challenges to the table. Svitolina, however, would fancy her chances given her 6-1 head-to-head lead over the Kazakh.
During her time away from the WTA tour, Svitolina welcomed her daughter Skaï with husband Gael Monfils in October. Due to her year-long absence, the Ukrainian has dropped out of the top 1000 in the world rankings. She is currently ranked No. 1081.
Elina Svitolina finds herself amid packed field at Charleston Open
Elina Svitolina finds herself in a jam-packed Charleston Open field led by Jessica Pegula and Ons Jabeur, who are the top seeds at this year's tournament.
The Ukrainian has landed in the top half of the draw. She could run into seventh seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round if she manages to come through her opener against Putintseva.
Belinda Bencic is another big name in Svitolina's quarter, with Pegula and Veronika Kudermetova anchoring the other section of the top half.
Svtiolina has never played the Charleston Open even though it has been a regular feature on the WTA tour since 1973. The 2023 edition of the tournament will be hosted at the Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina.
The final is scheduled to be played on April 9.
