Bali Classic tennis tournament // Tue, 16 Sep 08
The Bali Classic tennis tournament will be transformed next year into one of the most prestigious events on the WTA Tour calendar, offering a $1 million bonus, Reuters reports.
Under the plans, the tournament, which is currently held in the week following the US Open, will be renamed the Tournament of Champions and offer $600,000 in prize money – up from $250,000. It will, however, only be open to players who have won at least one of the season-long International Series events.
The International Series is part of the streamlined WTA Tour, consisting of 30 tournaments covering Australia, Asia, North Africa, the Americas and Europe. Each event will be part of the Road To Bali, with players earning ranking points towards qualification for the season-ending tournament. The top 10 WTA Tour players who have won at least one International Series tournament and are not participating in the year-end championships in Doha will qualify, along with two wild cards. In addition, a player who wins three International Series events and the Tournament of Champions will collect an additional $1 million bonus.
Tournament director, Kevin Livesey, said: “Bali has long attracted many of the top players and now we can look forward to welcoming both established names and those who are beginning to make a major impact on the game. The prospect of a $1 million bonus will guarantee excitement throughout the year”.
The tournament will take place indoors from November 4-8 at the Bali International Convention Centre with 12 players in four round-robin groups.