Tennis tournament issue statement after listing Ash Barty on entry list and causing stir
Ash Barty was named on the entry list at the Charleston Open, despite the fact she retired in 2022.
Charleston Open chiefs were forced to issue a statement after listing Ash Barty on the entry list as a wildcard. Barty rose up the rankings to become world No. 1 for 114 successive weeks but then retired at the age of 25 after winning her third Grand Slam at the 2022 Australian Open.
Barty enjoyed a stellar few years on the court between 2019 and 2022 as she starred in a series of tournaments. She won the 2019 French Open after thrashing Marketa Vondrousova in the final, before defeating Karolina Pliskova in the 2021 Wimbledon final in a three-set thriller. And she lifted the Australian Open trophy in the final Grand Slam of her career after dispatching Danielle Collins in the showpiece match.
Barty, who is now 28, hasn’t suggested that she plans to return to the court. But the Charleston Open website mistakenly listed her on the player field for the tournament, which gets underway on Monday.
She was pictured on the top row of participants alongside Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys and Qinwen Zheng.
And the error certainly had people talking, with tennis journalist Christopher Clarey posting on X (formerly Twitter): “Just checked out the 2025 player field for the @CharlestonOpen. Quite a surprise. Must be an error but it did get me dreaming.”
Tournament chiefs were quick to rectify their mistake as they removed her picture and issued a statement on social media.
“Looks like our new website got a little too excited and accidentally listed Ashleigh Barty as a wildcard recipient. We promise the only surprises moving forward will be on the court,” read the statement.