The WTA Finals are moving to Shenzhen. The tour and the city of Shenzhen have inked a 10-year deal to host the tour’s marquee event, starting in 2019.
According the WTA, Gemdale Corporation, one of China’s largest real estate developers, won the bid and will build a state-of-the-art venue in downtown Shenzhen that will hold 12,000 spectators.
"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. "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.”
According to the WTA, the tournament will raise its prize purse to $14 million from $7 million at the inaugural event in Shenzhen in 2019.
The event drew a record 133,000 spectators in 2017 at Singapore, where it has been held since 2014, when it took over from Istanbul.