Upcoming Tournaments

Internazionali BNL d'Italia

Internazionali BNL d'Italia

Rome, ITALY
May 13 - May 19
Brussels Open

Brussels Open

Brussels, BELGIUM
May 20 - May 25
Internationaux de Strasbourg

Internationaux de Strasbourg

Strasbourg, FRANCE
May 20 - May 25
Roland Garros

Roland Garros

Paris, FRANCE
May 26 - Jun 08
Aegon Classic

Aegon Classic

Birmingham, GREAT BRITAIN
Jun 10 - Jun 16
NÜRNBERGER VERSICHERUNGSCUP

NÜRNBERGER VERSICHERUNGSCUP

NÜRNBERG, GERMANY
Jun 10 - Jun 15
Family Circle Cup

Family Circle Cup

Charleston, USA
Apr 01 - Apr 07

Tournament Info

Tier: Premier
Prize Money: $795,707
Surface: Clay
Director: Bob Moran
The Family Circle Cup has a rich history on green clay that dates back to 1973, the year all of women's professional tennis was united in becoming the WTA. It is the largest women's-only tournament in the world, and Family Circle magazine is the longest running title sponsor in men's or women's pro tennis.

At its maiden staging in Hilton Head, South Carolina, the Family Circle Cup was the first women's tennis event to offer $100,000 in prize money and the first to be broadcast on network TV. It moved to Amelia Island, Florida, in 1975, back to Hilton Head in 1977 and settled in its current home of Charleston in 2001.

The Family Circle Cup's list of champions reads like a roster of all-time greats, with names such as Tracy Austin, Jennifer Capriati, four-time winner Steffi Graf, Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, Conchita Martínez, four-time champ Martina Navratilova, Gabriela Sabatini, Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario, three-time titlist Serena Williams and Venus Williams. Chris Evert was the most dominant, collecting a tournament-record eight titles.

The Original 9, the nine players who signed $1 contracts with World Tennis publications publisher Gladys Heldman to compete in what would become the Virginia Slims Series in 1970, reunited at the Family Circle Cup 40th anniversary in April 2012. One of them, Billie Jean King, had the stadium court named after her.
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Previous Winners

Year Draws Singles Doubles
2013 Serena Williams Lucie Safarova / Kristina Mladenovic
2012 Serena Williams Lucie Safarova / Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
2011 Caroline Wozniacki Sania Mirza / Elena Vesnina
2010 Samantha Stosur Liezel Huber / Nadia Petrova
2009 Sabine Lisicki Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Nadia Petrova
2008 Serena Williams Ai Sugiyama / Katarina Srebotnik
Previous Winners

News

  • Quotable Quotes: The Secret

    April 19, 2013
    What's Bethanie Mattek-Sands' key to rebounding from injury lay-offs? Mallory Burdette looks so calm, but what...
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Photos

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Videos

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News

  • Quotable Quotes: The Secret

    April 19, 2013
    What's Bethanie Mattek-Sands' key to rebounding from injury lay-offs? Mallory Burdette looks so calm, but what's going on beneath the surface? All that and more from from a variety of WTA stars.
  • Quotable Quotes: Venus & Serena

    April 18, 2013
    Does Venus feel like she has killer instinct? Why didn't Serena use the karaoke machine in the player lounge in Charleston? Find out the answers to those questions and more right here...
  • Quotable Quotes: Gems From JJ

    April 17, 2013
    Jelena Jankovic isn't just one of the biggest stars on the court, she's also one of the biggest stars in the press room, week after week and year after year. Here she is in her own words...
  • Quotable Quotes: Teenage Uprising

    April 16, 2013
    Monica Puig, Eugenie Bouchard and Madison Keys. All very different players with one very important thing in common - their hunger for success. Get to know them a bit better right here.
  • Keys Taking Success In Her Stride

    April 13, 2013
    Madison Keys is just 18 but she has already been earmarked for the very top by some of the WTA's biggest names.
  • WTA Diary: Hat-Tricks, Epics & Movies

    April 09, 2013
    Catch up on all the WTA news from the past seven days, including Serena and Anastasia's hat-trick hauls and an epic encounter to kick off the clay court season.
  • Serena Wins 49th WTA Title In Charleston

    April 07, 2013
    Serena Williams battled back from a set down to beat Jelena Jankovic in the Family Circle Cup final. She is now one away from 50 WTA titles - how many players have crossed that milestone?
  • Mladenovic & Safarova's Amazing Day

    April 07, 2013
    Kristina Mladenovic and Lucie Safarova made quite an impression in their first tournament together, winning the Premier-level Family Circle Cup doubles title in Charleston on Sunday.
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Photos

  • Charleston Gallery: The Last Batch

    April 19, 2013
    The Family Circle Cup has the distinction of being the only WTA tournament on green clay - see a few more shots of the unique surface and other things in the last batch of pics from the event.
  • Charleston Gallery: Bethanie & The Base

    April 17, 2013
    Bethanie Mattek-Sands has been a woman on a mission in recent months, battling her way back up the rankings - but she had a very special mission in Charleston recently. Check it out...
  • Charleston Gallery: The Doubles Final

    April 15, 2013
    Two of the best doubles players in the world joined forces at the Family Circle Cup and did very, very well - but an unseeded, unheralded team had just enough fight to beat them to the title.
  • Charleston Gallery: Serena Vs JJ

    April 07, 2013
    The singles final featured the current World No.1 against a former World No.1, and it went the distance - and another former World No.1 was among those watching from the stands.
  • Charleston Gallery: A Little Bit Closer...

    April 04, 2013
    From luncheons to autograph sessions and signed balls being hit into the stands, the fans at the Family Circle Cup have been getting a little bit closer to the WTA stars this year.
  • Charleston Gallery: The Player Party & More

    April 03, 2013
    Who are the players in disguise at the Family Circle Cup player party? Who brought their cute little dog to the All Access Hour on Monday? All that and more right here - check it out!
  • Charleston Gallery: EleVen Exhibition

    April 02, 2013
    Monday was an EleVen out of 10 in Charleston, as WTA legend Venus Williams held a very fun - and very unique - EleVen by Venus tennis exhibition on Day 1 of the Family Circle Cup.
  • Original 9: Magical Moments From Charleston

    April 18, 2012
    The reunion of the Original 9 at the Family Circle Cup brought back memories, and created new ones.
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Videos

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Previous Winners

Year Draws Singles Doubles
2013 Serena Williams Lucie Safarova / Kristina Mladenovic
2012 Serena Williams Lucie Safarova / Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
2011 Caroline Wozniacki Sania Mirza / Elena Vesnina
2010 Samantha Stosur Liezel Huber / Nadia Petrova
2009 Sabine Lisicki Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Nadia Petrova
2008 Serena Williams Ai Sugiyama / Katarina Srebotnik
2007 Jelena Jankovic Zi Yan / Jie Zheng
2006 Nadia Petrova Lisa Raymond / Samantha Stosur
2005 Justine Henin Conchita Martinez / Virginia Ruano Pascual
2004 Venus Williams Virginia Ruano Pascual / Paola Suarez
2003 Justine Henin Virginia Ruano Pascual / Paola Suarez
2002 Iva Majoli Lisa Raymond / Rennae Stubbs
2001 Jennifer Capriati Lisa Raymond / Rennae Stubbs
2000 Mary Pierce Virginia Ruano Pascual / Paola Suarez
1999 Martina Hingis Elena Likhovtseva / Jana Novotna
1998 Amanda Coetzer Conchita Martinez / Patricia Tarabini
1997 Martina Hingis Mary Joe Fernandez / Martina Hingis
1996 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario Jana Novotna / Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
1995 Conchita Martinez Nicole Arendt / Manon Bollegraf
1994 Conchita Martinez Lori McNeil / Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
1993 Steffi Graf Gigi Fernandez / Natasha Zvereva
1992 Gabriela Sabatini Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario / Natasha Zvereva
1991 Gabriela Sabatini Claudia Kohde-Kilsch / Natasha Zvereva
1990 Martina Navratilova Martina Navratilova / Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
1989 Steffi Graf Hana Mandlikova / Martina Navratilova
1988 Martina Navratilova Lori McNeil / Martina Navratilova
1987 Steffi Graf Mercedes Paz / Eva Pfaff
1986 Steffi Graf Chris Evert / Anne White
1985 Chris Evert Rosalyn Nideffer / Pam Shriver
1984 Chris Evert Claudia Kohde-Kilsch / Hana Mandlikova
1983 Martina Navratilova Martina Navratilova / Candy Reynolds
1982 Martina Navratilova Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver
1981 Chris Evert
1977 Chris Evert
1975 Chris Evert
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