‘Setting the standard’: Players React to Charleston’s Equal Pay Play

PEGULA, KEYS & MORE WEIGH IN ON THE HISTORIC $2.5M PAYOUT

There was a clear understanding this week for the players at the Credit One Charleston Open: They were playing a part in history.

The announcement a year ago by owner Ben Navarro that the tournament prize money would double – aligning it with that of the ATP 500 level – brought the total payout to $2.5 million, the most for any WTA 500, ever.

“Sometimes you need someone to step up and set the standard, set the bar for others to follow,” said Jessica Pegula, who claimed her second consecutive Charleston title in 2026.

“And I think that’s what [Ben has] done.”

While the WTA set out a roadmap for its 500-level events to bring their prize purses level with the ATP by 2033, Pegula’s point aligns with a longstanding belief in women’s tennis: Boundaries must be pushed to achieve success – and equality.

“I think it creates a really nice healthy competition amongst the tournaments,” Pegula continued. “I think it holds them accountable, and it also puts the spotlight on — even though we are equal at the Grand Slams — it’s definitely not equal at all the rest of the tournaments. And I think sometimes fans don’t actually know that.”

The players surely know it, with talk of the pay bump echoing around the back corridors of the Credit One Stadium this week — and beyond.

That $2.5 million total comes in two parts: $2.3 million in prize money and a $200,000 investment in the Women’s Tennis Benefits Association (WTBA), which provides players with long-term financial planning assistance, health insurance, healthcare access and more.

“[That part] is really important because the prize money obviously goes directly to each individual, but the benefits are really important because they help support the entire tour,” explained Madison Keys, a semifinalist this year and a former member of the WTA Players’ Council.

“It goes towards pension. It goes towards retirement. It goes towards our insurance… and all the things that really help everyone on the tour.”

The payouts for the Charleston champions — $354,345 for Pegula and $117,320 for Desirae Krawczyk and Caty McNally — were around double what they were in 2025.

“It’s amazing what this tournament has done… really investing in women’s tennis,” Krawczyk said after securing her second title here. “It really just sets the standard for other tournaments, and we just hope [they] follow suit. It’s incredible.”

At the professional sports level, it can sometimes be easy to forget what dollars and cents really can mean to athletes and their development – no matter what point they are at in their careers.

But for singles runner-up Yuliia Starodubtseva, it could be career-changing.

“It definitely will help in a way to feel free,” Starodubtseva said in a nod to her $218,225 runner-up check.

“Now I feel like there is [more] opportunity… I’ll use this [to] invest more in my career.”