WTA Tour Championships
The WTA Tour Championships ( German championships of the WTA Tour , officially Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen , also known as WTA Finals ) are the final tournament in women's tennis .
mode
The eight best players of the year and the four best couples in doubles are allowed to participate . In singles , a preliminary round is played with two groups of four according to the round robin principle (each against each). The two best from each group advance to the semi-finals, the winners contest the final . The double competition starts with two semi-final pairings, the winners of which play the final.
From 1984 to 1998, the final was played over three sets of wins , which has remained an exception in women's tennis to this day.
history
The first WTA Tour Championships were held in March 1972. When the WTA decided in 1986 to limit the tour to the months of January to November, the WTA Championships were postponed to the last possible date at the end of the year. That is why, as an exception, two events took place in 1986.
Official names
| Period | sponsor | official tournament name |
|---|---|---|
| 1972-1988 | Virginia Slims | Virginia Slims Championships |
| 1979-1982 | Avon Products | Avon Championships |
| 1983-1994 | Virginia Slims | Virginia Slims Championships |
| 1995 | WTA Tour Championships | |
| 1996-2000 | Chase Manhattan Bank | Chase Championships |
| 2001 | Colgate-Palmolive | Sanex Championships |
| 2002 | The Home Depot | Home Depot Championships |
| 2003 | Bank of America | Bank of America WTA Tour Championships |
| 2004 | WTA Tour Championships | |
| 2005-2010 | Sony Ericcson | Sony Ericsson Championships |
| 2011-2013 | BNP Paribas and Türk Ekonomi Bankası | TEB-BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup |
| 2014-2018 | BNP Paribas and SCglobal | BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore Presented by SCglobal |
| 2019– | Shiseido | Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen |
Venues
| Period | venue | Hall |
|---|---|---|
| 1972-1973 |
 Boca Raton
|
|
| 1974-1976 |
los Angeles
|
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena |
| 1977 |
new York
|
Madison Square Garden |
| 1978 |
Oakland
|
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena |
| 1979-2000 |
new York
|
Madison Square Garden |
| 2001 |
 Munich
|
Olympia Hall |
| 2002-2005 |
los Angeles
|
Staples Center |
| 2006-2007 |
 Madrid
|
Madrid arena |
| 2008-2010 |
 Doha
|
Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex |
| 2011-2013 |
 Istanbul
|
Sinan Erdem Dome |
| 2014-2018 |
 Singapore
|
Singapore Indoor Stadium |
| 2019-2028 |
 Shenzhen
|
Bidding process from 2014 to 2018
The venue for the years 2014 to 2018 was again determined in a bidding process . 43 cities applied in 2012; In a preliminary decision, the following four prevailed:
In January 2013 it was announced that Kazan and Mexico City had withdrawn and Monterrey had joined them as a new third applicant .
These cities were visited by the WTA in March 2013, starting with Tianjin. On March 8, 2013, the WTA announced that Singapore would host from 2014 to 2018. In addition to the eight best tennis players, the best eight (instead of the previous four) double pairings were to take part in the tournament for the first time.
Bidding process from 2019 to 2028
The venue from 2019 was also determined in a bidding process. The following cities applied for this:
In January 2018, the decision was finally made on the Chinese city of Shenzhen.
Record winners
- Martina Navrátilová : 8 wins (from 15 finals)
- Serena Williams : 5 wins (with 7 finals)
- Steffi Graf : 5 wins (with 6 finals)
- Chris Evert : 4 wins (with 8 finals)
- Monica Seles : 3 wins (with 4 finals)
- Kim Clijsters : 3 wins (with 3 finals)
Finals
singles
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Double
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See also
Corresponding tournaments for men:
- 1970-1989: Masters
- 1990–1999: ATP World Championship - as well as the Grand Slam Cup as a competitor
- 2000–2008: Tennis Masters Cup
- since 2009: ATP World Tour Finals
Web links
- Official website of the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships (English)
- Official website of the Sony Ericsson Championships
Individual evidence
- ↑ WTA Championships Candidates Announced (accessed October 28, 2012)
- ↑ Three cities remain in contention to hostseason ending WTA Championships (tennisworldusa.org, accessed May 7, 2013)
- ↑ WTA CEO to visit Tianjin to decide host city for 2014 WTA Championships (whatsontianjin.com, accessed May 7, 2013)
- ^ WTA Championships Awarded To Singapore
- ↑ Four cities bid for WTA Finals. In: sportspromedia.com. October 26, 2017, accessed December 19, 2017 .
- ↑ Shenzhen, China to host WTA Finals starting in 2019. In: wtatennis.com. January 18, 2018, accessed January 18, 2018 .
- ↑ Champion's Alley: Chris Evert (wtafinals.com from June 28, 2016, accessed October 4, 2016)
- ↑ Champion's Alley: Tracy Austin (wtafinals.com July 19, 2016, accessed October 4, 2016)
- ↑ Champion's Alley: Sylvia Hanika (wtafinals.com from July 26, 2016, accessed October 4, 2016)
- ↑ Champion's Alley: Steffi Graf (wtafinals.com from July 12, 2016, accessed October 4, 2016)
- ↑ CHAMPION'S ALLEY: GABRIELA SABATINI (wtafinals.com from August 16, 2016, accessed October 4, 2016)
- ↑ CHAMPION'S ALLEY: MONICA SELES (wtafinals.com from August 30, 2016, accessed October 4, 2016)
- ↑ CHAMPION'S ALLEY: JANA NOVOTNA (wtafinals.com from September 6, 2016, accessed October 4, 2016)
- ↑ CHAMPION'S ALLEY: MARTINA HINGIS (wtafinals.com from August 24, 2016, accessed October 4, 2016)
- ↑ CHAMPION'S ALLEY: LINDSAY DAVENPORT (wtafinals.com from September 14, 2016, accessed October 4, 2016)
- ↑ CHAMPION'S ALLEY: KIM CLIJSTERS (wtafinals.com from September 20, 2016, accessed October 4, 2016)
- ↑ CHAMPION'S ALLEY: AMELIE MAURESMO (wtafinals.com from July 5, 2016, accessed October 4, 2016)
- ↑ CHAMPION'S ALLEY: JUSTINE HENIN (wtafinals.com from September 28, 2016, accessed October 4, 2016)