WTA to adopt ATP-style categories with events changed to WTA Masters, WTA 500, WTA 250?
The WTA Tour will rename its tournament categories next year in a move that will see them adopt similar structures as the ATP Tour, according to a report.
Since undergoing a revamp in 2009, the WTA’s four top tiers have been known as the Premier Mandatory, Premier 5, Premier and International while the lower level is known as the WTA 125K series.
The top-level Premier Mandatory comprises of the Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, Madrid Open and China Open with 1000 WTA Ranking points on offer for the winner while the Premier 5, with 900 points available to the winner, had events in Doha, Rome, Cincinnati, Toronto/Montreal and Wuhan.
The Premier category usually consisted of 12 tournaments with 470 points available while International events offered 280 points with more than 30 tournaments originally scheduled for 2020 and the WTA 125K series offered 160 points.
However, Spanish daily Marca reports that from 2021 the WTA’s top level events will be known as the WTA Masters, WTA 500 and WTA 250, which will bring them in line with the ATP’s Masters 1000, ATP 500 and ATP 250 structure.
The five events that currently fall under Premier Mandatory as well as the Premier 5 events will be renamed WTA Masters 1000 tournaments while the Premier events will be known as the WTA 500 with the Internationals changing to WTA 250 and the WTA 125K series switching to WTA 125.
The paper adds the changes will be officially confirmed by the WTA on December 2.
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