The WTA is “looking for a new host for its signature year-end championships event, the WTA Finals,” departing the Saudi Arabian market after this year. Getty Images
The WTA is “looking for a new host for its signature year-end championships event, the WTA Finals,” departing the Saudi Arabian market that it entered to considerable debate two years ago, according to sources cited by BOUNCES. The WTA’s plan to depart the desert comes despite WTA CEO Portia Archer “indicating interest last year in extending the WTA’s controversial stay in Riyadh beyond the original three-year deal that ends this year.” Those talks between the WTA and the Saudi Tennis Federation did not ultimately lead to a renewal for Riyadh, so this year will be the final edition in Riyadh. The “leading candidate” city in North America to host the WTA Finals in 2027 and beyond “appears to be” Charlotte — a city that has not hosted any official tour events since the 1970s. But tennis fans would have heard the city “mentioned more frequently in recent years.” When new tournament owner Ben Navarro threatened to move the Cincinnati Open out of Ohio in 2023, Charlotte was his “intended destination.” Also, the Charlotte Sports Foundation has organized an exhibition event called the Charlotte Invitational each of the last two offseasons (BOUNCES, 3/30).
