Singapore Is Strong Contender To Host 2014 WTA Finals

Written by: Staff on 24th December 2012

Singapore Is Strong Contender To Host 2014 WTA Finals

Serena Williams of USA checks her racket before playing against Emilie Loit of France, for their quarter finals match of the Gaz de France WTA Open 2009 tournament in Paris, France, 13 February 2009. Williams won 6-4, 6-1 and became 2nd semi finalist. EPA/HORACIO VILLALOBOS |

Singapore is moving into what looks like pole position as host of the WTA year-end event when it leaves Istanbul after 2013. That’s the feeling of local organisers in the rich city-state which is among a handful of candidates to next host the WTA wrapup event from 2014.

Kazan, Russia, Mexico City and Tianjin in China are the other candidates. But Singapore reportedly beats the lot on infrastructure while remaining something of a question mark about attracting the kinds of 12,000-plus crowds which have marked the successful run in Turkey.

Factors in favour of Singapore include a stable, thriving economy, an affluent populate and much less red tape and administrative burdens than the other candidates.

It is also the only candidate not located in a country which also hosts a WTA event. The decision of where the championships will be held is expected in the first half of 2013.

Prudent Singapore officials are studying the costs associated with staring the year-ender and also looking for ways to rouse the public into fronting up in their numbers. The next candidate city will have to go some way to match the cumulative 70,000 spectators who attended last autumn’s event in Istanbul.

Singapore has not hosted a Tour event since a 1999 ATP tournament but was the venues for an exho last month between Janko Tipsarevic and Juan Monaco which drew 14,000 fans over two days.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Singapore tennis news, Sports, Tennis News, WTA tennis, WTA Tour Finals