WOMEN’S TENNIS NEWS – WTA PLAYERS SELECT INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA / BNP PARIBAS OPEN AS THEIR FAVORITE TOURNAMENT DESTINATION IN THE PREMIER CATEGORY

Written by: Staff on 14th December 2016

WOMEN'S TENNIS NEWS - WTA PLAYERS SELECT INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA / BNP PARIBAS OPEN AS THEIR FAVORITE TOURNAMENT DESTINATION IN THE PREMIER CATEGORY |

2016 BNP Paribas Open. Photo by Alejandro Gonzalez.

WTA Players Select 2016 Tournament and Player Achievement Award Winners

The WTA Tournaments of the Year have been announced by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), with five of the six honorees earning the honor for the third consecutive year. Each year, the players select their top tournaments in six categories.

The 2016 WTA Tournaments of the Year are as follows:

Premier Mandatory: BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells)

Premier 5: Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome)

Premier: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

International (Americas): Abierto Mexicano TELCEL (Acapulco)

International (APAC): ASB Classic (Auckland)

International (EMEA): Ericsson Open (Bastad)

Since the expansion to six categories in 2014, Indian Wells, Stuttgart, Acapulco, Auckland and Bastad have won their respective categories. These tournaments have received recognition from WTA players due to the excellence of their staff and organization, passionate fans, dedication to the sport and its athletes and much more.

Venus Williams at the 2016 BNP Paribas Open. Photo by Alejandro Gonzalez.

In addition, Lucie Safarova and Petra Kvitova once again earned the Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service and Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Awards, respectively. Both are voted on by their WTA athlete peers.

Lucie Safarova won the Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award for the third straight year. This is awarded each year to the player who has done the most for her fellow players. The player can be acknowledged for their efforts made through the Player Council or any other initiative on behalf of the general player population. This award has been voted on by players since 1977 and has recognized athletes including Kim Clijsters, Nicole Pratt, Francesca Schiavone, Pam Shriver and Venus Williams.

Petra Kvitova has won the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award, receiving this honor in five of the last six years. This is awarded to the player who conducts herself in a manner fitting of a professional sports figure and observes the rules of fair play, shows respect for others and is gracious on and off the court. This award has been voted on by players since 1978 and has recognized athletes including Kim Clijsters, Elena Dementieva, Ana Ivanovic, Lindsay Davenport, Chris Evert and Evonne Goolagong-Cawley.

Click here to read more on the WTA Tournaments of the Year.

The WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 2,500 players representing 92 nations competing for a record $137 million in prize money. The 2016 WTA competitive season includes 56 events and four Grand Slams in 33 countries. In 2015, The WTA was watched by 395 million fans on television and digital channels around the world. The 2016 WTA competitive season concludes with the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global from October 23-30, 2016 and the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, China from November 1-6, 2016.