The WTA Tour could return to India as early as the first quarter of 2024 with discussions reportedly underway for Mumbai to host a WTA $125,000 event in February.
Discussions are in the final stages and are expected to be finalized in the coming weeks, Sportskeeda quotes Sunder Iyer, secretary of the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA), as stating.
The last time India saw a high-profile women’s tennis event in the country was when the WTA Chennai Open was held in September 2022. Czech teen Linda Fruhvirtova won the tournament.
The addition of a WTA $125K event to the calendar would be a welcome relief for India’s top women players, providing them with an opportunity to earn lucrative ranking points and prize money on home soil. India’s No.1-ranked Ankita Raina is currently ranked 198th in the world, followed by Karman Thandi at 235 and recent Asian Games gold medallist Rutuja Bhosale at No. 339.
