MELBOURNE, Australia — The WTA Finals, the elite season-ending event for women’s tennis, will leave Singapore after this year and begin a 10-year run in Shenzhen, China from 2019 through 2028.
The lucrative, long-term deal — announced by the WTA on Thursday — deepens the tour’s commitment to China, a crucial market, and will increase the event’s total prize money to $14 million in 2019, which is double the current amount.
According to the WTA, the Shenzhen organizers have committed to building a new facility in the downtown area of Shenzhen at a cost of approximately $450 million.