THE WTA ANNOUNCE U.S. RETURN TO TENNIS WITH INAUGURAL "TOP SEED OPEN" IN LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY
WTA International Event Marks the Return of Women's Professional Tennis After a Five-Month Hiatus due to the Global COVID-19 Pandemic
Inaugural Top Seed Open to be Held at the Top Seed Tennis Club in Lexington, Kentucky, August 10-17
MCLEAN, Va. - July 9, 2020 - Octagon and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) today announced the return to professional women's tennis in the U.S., with the staging of a new tournament, the Top Seed Open, presented by Bluegrass Orthopaedics. The inaugural tournament will join the WTA Tour schedule and be held at the Top Seed Tennis Club, August 10-17, in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Top Seed Open will be the first WTA tournament in the U.S., following a five-month hiatus due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament will play host to the world's best professional tennis players and feature a diverse mix of singles and doubles action throughout the course of the week, offering more than $225,000 in prize money to players.
To ensure the health and safety of players, staff, and the local community, the tournament organizers, including tournament director, Jonathan Sanders, are working with the Bluegrass Orthopaedics Medical facility & Labtox Labs to follow the strict WTA-developed health and safety protocols.
"We are very pleased to bring this tournament to Lexington as part of the re-opening of live sports this summer," said Phil de Picciotto, Octagon Founder and President. "We thank the WTA Tour and Top Seed for their unwavering collaboration, support and encouragement in working through the many unique complexities of these times."
"The WTA looks forward to welcoming our athletes to the Top Seed Open in Lexington next month," said Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO. "We are all eager for the WTA Tour's return, and we are pleased with the tournament's commitment to hosting a WTA event and providing a safe and welcoming experience for all."
"I am truly excited to host the return to WTA tennis at Top Seed Club in Kentucky," said Sanders. "At Top Seed, we are committed to the growth of the game at every level from grass roots to pro tennis, and so when I was given the opportunity to bring a WTA International to Lexington, I jumped at it."
A newly constructed state-of-the-art facility, Top Seed Tennis Club is currently home to tennis tournaments at all levels. The grounds include 21 total DecoTurf II courts (twelve indoor, nine outdoor), a 4,000 sq. ft gym and yoga studio, player lounges and fully equipped locker rooms, a public full-service bar and lounge, amongst other amenities.
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ABOUT THE WTA:
Founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 on the principle of equal opportunity for women in sports, the WTA is the global leader in women's professional sport with more than 1,650 players representing 84 nations competing for a record $180 million in prize money. In 2019, the WTA was watched by a record-breaking global audience of 700 million. The 2020 WTA Tour includes 55 events and four Grand Slams, spanning across six continents and 29 countries and regions. The season culminates with the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, offering an unprecedented $14 million total prize purse and honoring the season's top singles and doubles players. Further information on the WTA can be found at www.wtatennis.com.