WTA Championships - Istanbul 2011

Elif Kayaardı / October 20, 2011

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Istanbul is hosting another major sports event: Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Championships, which is considered as the most prestigious sports event for the women’s tour after the four Grand Slam Tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open).

The event will be held in Istanbul between 25^th and 30^th of October at Sinan Erdem Spor Salonu. The championships will consist of matches between the eight best women’s singles players as well as the four best women’s doubles teams from an initial group of 52 players. The total prize money for the tournament will be an unprecedented 4.5 million USD.

Seven out of eight participants of singles and all four of the doubles have already been qualified. Caroline Wozniaki, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka, Li Na, Vera Zvonareva, and Samantha Stosur will play the singles matches. Peschke & Srebotnik, Huber & Raymond, Dulko & Pennetta, and King & Shvedova will play the doubles matches.

Istanbul has been hosting many prestigious sports events, from basketball and football to tennis. In fact, WTA International Tournament was held in Istanbul consecutively between 2005 and 2010. By the looks of it, Istanbul will continue to be a meeting point for tennis fans as the WTA Championships will be held in Istanbul in the following two years.

Established in 1973, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) is the counterpart organization of Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which serves the interests of male tennis players. WTA was founded to protect the rights of female tennis players and balance the prizes between women and men during major tennis tournaments. WTA has greatly expanded over the years, organizing global sports events and offering millions of dollars worth of prize money.

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Sinan Erdem Spor Salonu; Ataköy 4. Kısım Sonu, Bakırköy; P: (0212) 559 09 14