A Look Back at 2006...  

The Family Circle Cup, known as the “Tournament Where Stars are Born”, lived up to its billing for the 34th year as the stars of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour returned to Charleston in 2006. A potent mix of veterans and young talent thrilled a record-setting crowd of 92,375 on Daniel Island, accentuating an atmosphere where world class tennis combines with a fabulous social event marking the grandest activity of the year in Charleston.

In addition to the best in women’s professional tennis, this week of fun included a LACOSTE fashion show on King Street, a fabulous player party inside the Saks Fifth Avenue store in downtown Charleston, and a mixed doubles exhibition featuring former Wimbledon Champion Pat Cash, doubles great Peter Fleming, and top ranked WTA Tour doubles stars Lisa Raymond, and Samantha Stosur. Adding to these exciting activities, Grand Slam and 2001 Family Circle Cup champion Mary Pierce was honored as the first Meredith Inspiration Award winner at a formal reception in Charleston Place, and again on Friday during the Cup in an on-court presentation. The award was created to honor a female professional athlete who by her efforts inspires others.

Qualifying rounds began on Saturday, April 8th, under sunny skies in front of a large enthusiastic crowd who caught a glimpse of the best and brightest young talent in women’s tennis. As the day’s matches neared conclusion, a storm moved into the area producing a tornado that touched down and made contact with Family Circle Magazine Stadium. Thankfully, no one was injured, the damage was minimal, and play was able to resume on Sunday as scheduled. From this point forward, sunny skies and warm temperatures prevailed creating a perfect tournament atmosphere filled with excitement and fun throughout the week.

Defending Champion Justine Henin arrived in Charleston with an undefeated 12-0 record here, and accompanied fellow WTA Tour stars Nadia Petrova, Patty Schnyder, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Nicole Vaidisova, and others as the main draw matches kicked off in grand fashion early in the week. Joining these established names was the best young talent on Tour leading off with the young Italian Mara Santangelo who battled to a third round loss to Patty Schnyder where she stretched the match to three sets, and reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 35 on April 17th, 2006. Another Charleston success story came from Catalina Castano, a young Columbian poised to make her mark on the world. In a second round victory, she defeated No. 5 seed Nicole Vaidisova en route to a quarterfinal finish, helping her climb to a career high No. 36 ranking.

Championship weekend arrived with seven seeded players still in competition for the Cup, assuring the crowd would see the best that women’s tennis has to offer. Quarterfinal action featured a televised 6-3, 7-6(4) upset of No. 4 seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova by No. 6 seed Anna-Lena Groenefeld, and a host of other hard-hitting singles and doubles matches throughout the day. Semifinal competition showcased three of the top 4 seeded players, and was highlighted with a stunning 3-set 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 televised upset of top-seeded Justine Henin by perennial crowd favorite and third seed Patty Schnyder. In other action, No. 2 seeded Nadia Petrova easily defeated No. 6 seeded Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-1, 6-3 to lock up the second slot in the finals.

On a hot and sunny Championship Sunday, Nadia Petrova faced off against Patty Schnyder in a three set battle for the coveted singles title, and a $196,900 payday, the largest purse in the history of this storied event. From the onset of the match, Nadia came out swinging hard on both sides, easily taking the first set 6-2. With the crowd decisively behind her, Patty battled back into the match with an array of crafty shots that frustrated Nadia and tied the match as she clinched the second set at 6-4. As each competitor regrouped and made their final charge to victory, the heat and heavy clay proved to be a challenge for both players as they began the third and decisive set. Nadia immediately returned to her power game, which proved too strong for Patty who valiantly rallied and fought off many points. Nadia took the set and match with a 6-1 score, and was gracious in her victory speech to the fans who witnessed her first Tier I victory. The championship marked Nadia’s third Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title of 2006, and her second consecutive clay court tournament win, completing a sweep of the American clay-court series.

The tournament concluded with a showdown between the world No. 1 doubles team of Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur as they faced off against four-time (3 consecutive) and defending Family Circle Cup doubles champion, Virginia Ruano Pascual, and partner Meghann Shaughnessy. After three exciting sets of lightning fast play, Lisa and Samantha emerged victorious with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory to earn their fifth doubles title of 2006.