Charleston Open: Volynets edges Rus after 3 hours, 43 minutes, the longest WTA match of 2024

American qualifier Katie Volynets edged out Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus 6-2, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (6) in the longest WTA match of 2024 so far as she reached the second round of the Charleston Open at the Family Circle Tennis Center on Monday.

Volynets, ranked No 110, saved two match points in the final-set tiebreak as she clinched victory after three hours, 43 minutes, advancing to a meeting with No 10 seed Emma Navarro.

Volynets might have won it in straight sets but was broken when serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set while Rus had the chance to finish it when she served at 6-5 in the final set, but couldn’t close it out.

Rus led 6-4 in the deciding tiebreak but Volynets saved both, and then snatched the win on her first match point.

The match exceeded the previous longest WTA match of the year by just one minute, edging out the three-hour, 42-minute encounter in Abu Dhabi when Beatriz Haddad Maia beat Magda Linette.

Charleston WTA 500, other first-round results (Family Circle Tennis Center, clay, USD 922.573, most recent results first):

• Ashlyn Krueger vs. Gabriela Lee
• Danielle Collins vs. Paula Badosa
• Caroline Dolehide vs. Kayla Day
• Elisabetta Cocciaretto vs. Ana Bogdan
• Magdalena Frech vs. Sloane Stephens
• Arina Rodionova vs. Astra Sharma
• Taylor Townsend vs. Sofia Kenin
• Varvara Gracheva vs. Clervie Ngounoue
• Claire Liu vs. Shelby Rogers: monday
• Amanda Anisimova beat Alize Cornet: 6-3, 6-0
• Jaqueline Cristian beat Sachia Vickery (Q): 6-1, 6-4
• Caroline Wozniacki (WC) beat Mccartney Kessler (LL): 6-0, 6-1
• Daria Saville (Q) beat Tamara Korpatsch: 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
• Viktoriya Tomova beat Mayar Sherif: 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
• Magda Linette beat Petra Martic: 6-3, 6-4