Week in Preview: Wozniacki, Keys shift to clay in Charleston

The tours are in transition this week. After Indian Wells and Miami, the ATP takes a break for Davis Cup, which will hold its four quarterfinals over the weekend. The WTA, meanwhile, take its first step—or slide—into the clay season. Before the players get knee deep in European red dirt, though, they take a test run on the green (gray, really) stuff in Charleston. Here’s a look ahead at this week’s Volvo Car Open, formerly known as the Family Circle Cup, and the WTA’s last hard-court gasp, in Monterrey, Mexico.

Volvo Car Open

*Charleston, S.C.

$776,000; Premier

Green clay

Draw is here*

Charleston has lost its top seed from last season, and its 2015 champion, Angelique Kerber, who decided to go west this year to Monterrey. That means Madison Keys takes over as No. 1 seed, a rare occurrence so far for the 22-year-old. Is she ready, after two tournaments in 2017, to play that role at a prestigious event? Can she get used to the idea? We’ll find out more soon enough. She could play fellow hard-hitting American Shelby Rogers, who is always capable of pulling an upset, in her opener. A Charleston native, Rogers won their only pro meeting, at a $50,000 event in Virginia in 2002. If Keys wins that, she could face Shuai Zhang, who has won three of their five meetings.

But if Keys is the top seed by ranking, the favorite in terms of current form is Johanna Konta. The Brit is coming off the best week of her career, in Miami, and is having the best season of her career; she’s 19-3 in 2017 and currently ranked No. 7. Last year, Konta spent this week in Monterrey, so the green clay may feel a little unfamiliar to her. Her presence is good news for tournament officials; now they just have to hope she doesn’t have a letdown after Miami. Konta will start against either Kayla Day or Alison Riske of the U.S.

​Editor’s Note: Konta [withdrew from the Volvo Car Open on Monday afternoon, due to illness and a shoulder injury.]

Also here: Venus Williams, Elena Vesnina, Caroline Wozniacki, Lucie Safarova

Wozniacki has reached three finals this season, and is on her way back into the Top 10. But she has also played 30 matches over the first three months of 2017. With three Slams still to go this year, you have to wonder: How much it too much? With Wozniacki, it’s a question we’ll never stop asking.

First-round matches of interest:

—Riske vs. Day

—Monica Puig vs. Katerina Siniakova

—Louisa Chirico vs. Annika Beck: Can Chirico match her impressive clay-swing results from last season? A large portion of her ranking points will ride on the answer.

—Jennifer Brady vs. Mona Barthel

—Naomi Osaka vs. Johanna Larsson

Abierto GNP Seguros

*Monterrey, Mexico

$250,000; WTA International

Hard court

Draw is here*

With the No. 1 ranking comes...a chance to increase your appearance-fee rate? Rather than remain on the east coast and start her transition to clay at the Premier tournament in Charleston, as she has traditionally done, Kerber has flown to the Pacific Coast to play on a hard court at a $250,000 International event in Monterrey. There she’ll start against Francesca Schiavone. After a slow start to the season, Kerber has shown signs of settling in recently. Her first title of 2017 would be a boost.

Also here: Anastasia Pavluchenkova, Caroline Garcia, Carla Suarez Navarro

First-round match of interest:

—CiCi Bellis vs. Naomi Broady

**· Starting Monday, Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel Plus will be showing LIVE Volvo Car Open from the first ball to last ball, all the way through the finals.

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