WTA Finals, relocated to Mexico, to be held in N. America for 1st time since 2005
Season-ending women's tourney in November moved from Shenzhen, China for 2021
The season-ending WTA Finals have been moved from China to the Mexican city of Guadalajara, the WTA said Monday.
The tournament, scheduled to begin Nov. 8, was supposed to be held in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. The WTA didn't give a reason for the switch but said the event would be back in Shenzhen next year. Shenzhen first hosted the WTA Finals in 2019 and is due to remain host through 2030.
Numerous other sports events have been relocated from Chinese venues because of travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.
"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.
"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.
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The annual showpiece event had a prize purse of $14 million US in 2019 when it was played in Shenzhen for the first time after ending a five-year run in Singapore.
Guadalajara already held a WTA tournament this year on hard courts in March. It will be the first time the WTA Finals have been held in Mexico and the first in North America since Los Angeles hosted the event in 2005.
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.
Medvedev, Tsitsipas book spot in ATP Finals
Newly crowned U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev and Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas have joined top-ranked Novak Djokovic in qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals, the men's tour said Monday.
Medvedev became the latest major winner on Sunday when he ended Djokovic's quest for a record 21st major title that would have helped the Serbian become the first man to complete a calendar year Grand Slam in 52 years.
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The ATP Finals is played between the top eight men's singles players and doubles teams, and the Russian won the season finale in 2020, when the tournament was last held in London before moving to Turin in Italy.
"I look forward to trying and defending my title in Turin," Medvedev said in an ATP statement. "Italian fans are so passionate, I am sure it will be a great event."
Djokovic has won the Finals five times in the past and became the first player to qualify for this year's event when he tied Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal for a men's record 20 major titles with his Wimbledon triumph.
World No. 2 Tsitsipas is also a former ATP Finals champion and won the title in 2019.
"It is great to qualify for Turin so early, I can't wait to play there," said Tsitsipas, who has won a tour-leading 50 matches in the 2021 season.
Fourth-ranked German Alexander Zverev, Russian Andrey Rublev and Italian Matteo Berrettini are next in line to qualify for the Nov. 14-21 event.
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.
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With files from Reuters
