WTA calendar update: Guadalajara to host WTA 1000 event as China remains absent from schedule

Maria Sakkari in action on the WTA

Guadalajara has been rewarded with a WTA 1000 tournament following the successful hosting of the WTA Finals last year as the WTA announced its updated calendar for 2022.

The Mexican city stepped up to the plate in November after Shenzhen in China was unable to host the prestigious season-ending event due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Guadalajara was hailed as massive success and the city, which hosted the Abierto Zapopan in February, has been awarded a non-mandatory WTA 1000 tournament, the Guadalajara Open Akron, from October 17.

The WTA also confirmed that China remains absent from the calendar after events were suspended following the public disappearance of Peng Shuai earlier this year.

The former doubles world No 1 accused a top Chinese politician of sexual assault before she disappeared for several weeks. After re-emerging, she denied the allegations.

It remains to be seen if the WTA Finals will return to Shenzhen at the end of October with an announcement set to be made at a later stage.

Other changes to the calendar will see San Diego, California, host a WTA 500 tournament from October 10 while Tunisia will stage the WTA 250 Jasmin Open from October 3.

“The 2022 WTA fall calendar will provide a robust amount of job opportunities for players in a regional calendar flow that will take us through to the end of the season. I am extremely grateful to all of our tournament organizers for their support of women’s tennis and their commitment to staging world class Hologic WTA Tour events,” Steve Simon, WTA Chairman & CEO, said.

WTA calendar changes
July 25 – WTA 250 BNP Paribas Poland Open moves from Gdynia to Warsaw, Poland
September 12 – WTA 250 Japan Women’s Open in Osaka, Japan
September 19 – WTA 500 Toray PPO Tennis in Tokyo, Japan and WTA 250 Hana Bank Korea Open in Seoul, South Korea
September 26 – WTA 250 Tallinn Open in Tallinn, Estonia
October 3 – WTA 500 J&T Banka Ostrava Open in Ostrava, Czech Republic and WTA 250 Jasmin Open Tunisia in Monastir, Tunisia
October 10 – WTA 500 San Diego Open in San Diego, California and WTA 250 Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
October 17 – WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico

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