Following
the conclusion of the fifth and final edition of the BNP Paribas WTA
Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, the honor of being host city
of the WTA Finals was officially handed over from Singapore to
Shenzhen, China at a symbolic ceremony held at the National Gallery
Singapore on Monday morning.
Present
to celebrate the handover of the crown jewel of women’s tennis from
one dynamic city to the next were officials and executives from
Singapore, Shenzhen and WTA, as well as the 2018 WTA Finals singles
champion Elina Svitolina and doubles champions Timea Babos and
Kristina Mladenovic.
Shenzhen
was officially announced as
the host city for the 2019-2028 WTA Finals in January
of this year.
"It
gives me great pleasure to announce that the dynamic city of Shenzhen
has been chosen to host the WTA Finals, the WTA's crown jewel season
finale, for the next decade,” said Steve Simon, WTA CEO and
Chairman at January's announcement.
"This
will easily be the largest and most significant WTA Finals deal in
the 45 years since the WTA was founded and promises to take the event
to a spectacular new level.”
As
the first city in Asia-Pacific to host the event, Singapore’s
staging of the WTA Finals was historic and made a lasting impact not
just locally but also in the region.
2019
will mark the 49th staging of the WTA Finals, while Shenzhen will be
the 10th city and second in Asia-Pacific to host the tournament.
It
follows Boca Raton (1972-1973), Los Angeles (1974-1976, 2002-2005),
Oakland (1978), New York City (1977, 1979-2000), Munich (2001),
Madrid (2006-2007), Doha (2008-2010), Istanbul (2011-2013) and
Singapore (2014-2018).
Infomation from WTA
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