6 April - (MPS Group Championships & Andalucia Tennis Experience)

MPS Group Championships

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
USA

Andalucia Tennis Experience

Marbella, Spain

COMMONWEALTH BANK TO STAGE GRAND NEW EVENT

14 Sep 2008 | English

The bad news is that the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic will not take place next year. The good news - the GREAT news - is that it will morph into the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions.

From the beginning of the 2009 season players will be able to earn ranking points at every one of the 29 International Series events played throughout the world. The tournaments will be part of the Road To Bali campaign, and the leading players will compete in a new season-ending event to be held indoors at the Bali International Convention Centre at The Westin, Nusa Dua. The tournament takes place from 4th to 8th November 2009, and is set to take place in Bali for an initial period of 2009-2011.

The top 10 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour players who have won at least one International Series tournament during the year and who are not participating in singles at the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha will qualify for the event, along with two wild cards. The 12 players will compete in a round-robin format with four groups of three players.

Prize money will increase from $225,000 to $600,000, and players will be eligible to win a massive $1,000,000 bonus if they can win three International Series events, plus the end of season Tournament of Championships in Bali.

“We are delighted that one of the most popular locations on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has been chosen for the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions," said tournament director Kevin Livesey. "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 as players compete in the International Series as part of their Road To Bali campaign."

“With the experience garnered over the past four years, we are proud to play a bigger role in the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions for the next three years, as part of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour,” said Nursing, President Director, Commonwealth Bank. “This has demonstrated the bank's commitment in always improving the quality of the tournament, developing Indonesian tennis in general and also placing Indonesia and Bali as a destination."

The International Series events begin on 5th January 2009 with events in Brisbane, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand.

Comments:

Chye | 02 Jan 2009 08:39 pm

8 - Fantaztic...Good for Tennis in Asia

Harry | 24 Dec 2008 01:46 am

7 - Pasti dapet.... tahun 2008 aja atleast ada 15 pemain non top 8 (yang masuk Sony ericcson champs Doha) yang menjadi juara International series.

Sayang banget ya Anggie nggak main lagi

Mike | 25 Nov 2008 12:16 am

6 - wonder what happens if they cant get 10 people to win at least one international series?

Tony | 26 Sep 2008 01:37 am

5 - Maybe it's not as good as it at first sounds. Did you notice the proviso? "...and who are not participating in singles at the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha will qualify for the event." So maybe you still won't get to see your favourite players in Bali.

Dar | 17 Sep 2008 10:02 am

4 - Now I have an excellent chance to see top 20 pretty-best players in the coming year 2009. Fantastic .. . .

Fred | 15 Sep 2008 01:04 pm

3 - Yeah baby - this one should not be missed..... will definitely come again next year

Agus | 15 Sep 2008 05:19 am

2 - My dreams wil come true..see Venus and serena in Bali.....luv u sister

Teguh | 15 Sep 2008 01:00 am

1 - greeeeaaaat.... sharapova, ivanovic and other top 10 players will be in bali next year, can't wait..