All in the Family

Charleston tennis tournament draws world's top-ranked players

With several cameras, a trophy and a hefty paycheck, the Family Circle Cup helped make women's sports history in 1973.

Before then, no women's tennis tournament had ever been televised on a national network like NBC, and the event's $100,000 in collective prize money, including $30,000 for inaugural champion Rosie Casals, was astronomic at the time.

Thirty-five years later, this relatively small investment has paved the way for stars like Venus Williams and Justine Henin to make next month's tournament one of the most anticipated sporting events not only in the state, but in professional athletics.

"Those two major milestones at the Family Circle Cup in 1973 helped put women's tennis on the map and shaped the sport's destiny," tournament director Robin Reynolds said. "That year was a very significant year for women's tennis, and this tournament has been monumental to the growth of the game."

This evolution will continue April 12-20 when six of the world's top 10 women's tennis players descend upon Charleston's Stadium Court for this Sony Ericsson WTA Tier I tournament. Defending champion Jelena Jankovic will have to hold off the likes of Henin, Anna Chakvetadze, and Venus and Serena Williams for a repeat.

Of course, that's assuming these strong competitors are still alive that late in the tournament. Last year, six of the top eight seeds were upset in the early rounds, meaning no player can be taken lightly.

"We have such loyal fans because they know they will see quality tennis, whether it's a number one seed or the 40th or 50th ranked player in the world," Reynolds said.

And this time around, the audience will look like a who's who of women's tennis players.

Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Jennifer Capriati and Mary Pierce are just a few of the 17 former champions expected to be in attendance to commemorate the tournament's 35th anniversary through an array of festivities during the week.

For most of these celebrated women, the Family Circle Cup served as a launching pad for their success.

Steffi Graf won her first singles tournament on this stage in 1986 (when it was still in Hilton Head), a 14-year-old Capriati made fans take notice when she reached the finals in 1990, and last year, 19-year-old Tatiana Golovin shocked several high seeds during a run to the quarterfinals.

Ultimately, only four Family Circle Cup champions have not won a Grand Slam singles title during their careers, which should make the stakes even higher at what could be another watershed moment for women's tennis.

"It's going to be a thrilling week with a fantastic mix of old and new," Reynolds said. "We're celebrating not only the tournament's legacy but the legacy of what women helped achieve in this sport."