WTA announced the Indian Open to be held in November 2012 in Delhi – Tennis News
WTA (Women Tennis Association) aspires to introduce the first ever India Open for the female players. The championship will be known as the “WTA Challenger Tour” scheduled to be played in the month of November this year in
Delhi. The total prize money for the tournament is $125,000 and 160 points for the title holder.
Under the WTA Challenger Series, the India Open will be the second largest event this year. The Challenger Series is fashioned to promote not only the young talent but also to generate a great market for tennis all over the
world.
The council expects the top-50 ranked sportswomen to be a part of the inaugural event in Delhi. The event will comprise of 16-teams in the doubles draw and similarly 16-player singles draw for qualifying with the introduction
of the 32-plater singles main draw.
The response to the news is very positive amongst the leading players in the Indian tennis fraternity. India is ready to host the mega event as they consider it to be a great opportunity for the female tennis stars in the
Asia- Pacific region. The young players will use it to boost their confidence for the tougher tournament.
In a press conference Taipei, the host informed the media: "The WTA Challenger Series is enabling us to broaden the reach of the WTA within the APAC region. We will bring WTA tennis to two crucial markets - Delhi and Taipei
.This series not only provides valuable playing opportunities for players but also fuels growth of tennis."
Recently, India hosted the Commonwealth Games at the R.K. Khanna Stadium, comprising of a 5,200 seating capacity.
Sujit Jain, the M.D of the event management company for the WTA tournament enlightened the public: "We are very happy to host India Open 2012 at in Delhi. As the capital of India, Delhi is well known for culture and historic
monuments. The Stadium is a great facility to host a world class sporting event like India Open. It was the home to Commonwealth Games as well in 2010."
WTA Challenger Series will gear up many players in order for the upcoming new tournaments like the Australian Open. It will also be an incentive for many underdog players who will be out after the early rounds of the US
Open Championship or the other events being held in September or October.
The first WTA challenger event in the region, OEC Taipei WTA Ladies Open will be held in October in Taiwan. The event will have a similar draw size of 32/16/16 being held at Taipei Arena.
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