(Reuters) – The season-ending WTA Finals will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico instead of Shenzhen, China this year and will begin on Nov. 8, the WTA Tour said on Monday.
The WTA Finals, contested by the world’s top eight singles players and eight doubles teams, was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In July, the WTA removed the Asian swing of tournaments from its calendar for a second successive year due to the pandemic, with only the WTA Finals’ fate uncertain.
“We are excited to bring our showpiece tournament to the exciting and vibrant city of Guadalajara in this unique year,” WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said in a statement https://www.wtatennis.com/news/2252442/2021-wta-finals-to-be-held-in-guadalajara-mexico.
“I would also like to express my gratitude to the Gemdale Corporation in Shenzhen for their cooperation and resilience, and we look forward to returning in 2022 to enjoy the WTA Finals over the next decade.”
The WTA Finals is set to return to Shenzhen from 2022 and the Chinese city will host every edition until 2030.
The annual showpiece event had a prize purse of $14 million in 2019 when it was played in Shenzhen for the first time after ending a five-year run in Singapore.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ed Osmond)
