Charlotte, Sep 16 (IANS) The WTA Finals will have a new home from 2027, with Charlotte, North Carolina, set to host the season-ending championship for three years as the women’s tennis tour looks to build a long-term platform for its premier event.
The Finals will be played at Spectrum Centre, home of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, from 2027-29, the WTA said on Wednesday. The tournament features the top singles players and doubles teams on the WTA Tour competing for the season-ending titles.
The move marks a new chapter for the WTA Finals, which have been held in a number of cities across the globe during the past two decades. The WTA said the long-term partnership will help it continue to shape the identity and experience of the championship and also strengthen relationships with fans and commercial partners.
“The WTA Finals represents everything that makes women’s tennis extraordinary: the world’s best athletes, competing at the highest level, on a stage worthy of what they have accomplished,” WTA Chair Valerie Camillo said.
“Women’s tennis has spent generations helping push women’s sports forward, and we have an opportunity now to lead again by building a championship experience that reflects just how far women’s sport has come and where it is going next. In Charlotte, we found more than a host city. We found partners who share that ambition and a place where we can build a true home for the Finals and for the WTA,” she added.
Charlotte was chosen after a global bidding process. The city’s sports infrastructure, business community, hospitality sector and experience with public-private partnerships all helped the city shine,” she added.
The Charlotte Sports Foundation was the WTA’s lead local partner throughout the process, working with state and local officials as well as the region’s business community to develop the partnership.
Pitts also thanked the state, city and county partners and the organisation’s Board of Directors for their support, noting that their backing and leadership helped make the agreement possible.
“This is a transformational moment for Charlotte and for our organisation,” Charlotte Sports Foundation CEO Will Pitts said. “Bringing the WTA Finals to our city is a testament to what Charlotte has become as a world-class sports destination, and we are incredibly grateful to the WTA for their trust and partnership in making this vision a reality.”
The partnership will continue after the tournament ends, and the WTA plans to relocate its global headquarters to Charlotte. The move is expected to strengthen the organisation’s links with business, civic, sports and community leaders in the region.
The WTA Finals are the culmination of the WTA Tour season, with qualification determined by performances throughout the year on the PIF Race to the WTA Finals. Only the leading singles players and doubles teams earn places at the prestigious season-ending event.
The singles champion receives the WTA Finals Billie Jean King Trophy, while the doubles winners lift the WTA Finals Martina Navratilova Trophy.
After travelling to various international markets for much of the past two decades, the Finals will return to the United States in 2026, when Indian Wells hosts the championship.
The WTA said the Charlotte move from 2027 is intended to build on that global foundation and establish Finals week as a major fixture on the international women’s sports calendar.
–IANS
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