WTA bosses to decide fate of Hong Kong in next 3 weeks, says tennis chief, as Peng Shuai saga hangs over sport
- World tennis bosses says city will know by end of March if tournament can return to Victoria Park in October
- Hong Kong Tennis Association says it still owns right to stage event and is in constant contact with officials
Hong Kong tennis chiefs should learn in the next three weeks if the city’s flagship tournament will return or not, a senior official said.
Organisers of the Hong Kong Open have been told by the WTA that an answer will come by late March as to whether the event at Victoria Park can go ahead in October.
Philip Mok Kwan-yat, president of the Hong Kong Tennis Association, said he had “written to the WTA many times” and the organisation still had the right to stage the tournament.
“We have no idea of what the decision will be, but the women’s open is always our top priority,” he said. “Hong Kong is an international city and fans should be given the treat of watching top-class tennis in the city.
“We are now reopen to the world with no more quarantine requirements brought by the pandemic and the government is also in support of staging the event. Everything is ready but the WTA nod.”
The Open, which has been slated for the second week in October this year, was named the WTA International Tournament of the Year when it was last held in the city in 2018.
It was cancelled in 2019 because of the political unrest in Hong Kong, and the coronavirus pandemic then caused it to be left off the schedule for the nest three years.
The relationship between the WTA and China was then soured by the since-withdrawn claims of sexual assault against a senior Chinese official by former women’s doubles world No 1 Peng Shuai.
In calling for a “formal investigation” into the allegations, the WTA said it would need assurances over Peng’s safety before returning to China, of which Hong Kong is a part.
China has been a major women’s tennis event centre, staging nine tournaments a year before Covid hit, with the US$8m China Open in Beijing and the year-end US$14m WTA Finals in Shenzhen the two most important.
The 2022 WTA Finals were rescheduled to take place in Fort Worth, Texas with a total purse of only US$5m.
“The situation brings no good to all parties involved and we hope it can be resolved by the Chinese authorities and WTA as soon as possible,” a source said.
“The WTA will have to confirm its calendar for the end of the year by March, and that’s why they will give an answer to Hong Kong by that time.”
Mok said if they could not stage the women’s open this year, the association would look for other tournaments, such as an ATP men’s event or some other invitational events.
Hong Kong has been offered an ATP franchise on-loan for this year, but they must find a title sponsor for commercial support.
The Open has seen the likes of Serena and Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniak, among the former world No 1s to play in the city.
Naomi Osaka, who has won four grand slam titles, was invited to compete in 2017 and 2018. Despite withdrawing because of a back injury in 2018, she still travelled to Hong Kong to meet with local fans, pose for pictures, and sign autographs.
