World No.1 Iga Swiatek expressed hope that the governing body of the women’s game will do more to boost the tour in 2023 and further reduce pay disparity between the sexes outside the sport’s biggest tournaments.
Tennis has sought to be a leader in the battle for equality in the last couple of decades with equal prize money offered to men and women at the four grand slams.
WTA Tour events, however, still often offer less prize money than those on the men’s tour which operates its own circuit.
Swiatek said one of the top priorities for the tour as it celebrates its 50th anniversary should be to ensure events are more attractive for players, sponsors, organisers and fans.
“For sure, I’d like to see the WTA expanding business-wise, getting more popular, cutting the difference between WTA and ATP in terms of prize money and attracting fans,” Swiatek told reporters here.
A report in The Financial Times said the ATP Tour as of midway through last year offered players 75 per cent more prize money in tournaments — excluding the grand slams — than the women’s tour.
“Our tennis brings the same emotions as men’s tennis... There’s something you can find in women’s tennis that you’re not going to find on the ATP,” Swiatek said.
In a move expected to cost the association hundreds of millions of dollars in broadcasting and sponsorship, the WTA suspended lucrative tournaments in China over concerns for former doubles No.1 Peng Shuai.
She accused a senior Chinese government official of sexual assault in a 2021 social media post that was removed from the country’s internet. She later denied making the accusation.
Easy path to quarters
Swiatek swept into the quarter finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, easing past 14th seed Liudmila Samsonova 6-1, 6-0 here on Wednesday.
Swiatek has won her last five matches, including a successful title defense at Doha last week. But this will be her first appearance in the Dubai quarter-finals. Last year she had lost in the second round to eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Swiatek dropped only a single game en route to the 76-minute win. She will now face Karolina Pliskova.
Pliskova made it to the lasteight stage with a 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-2 defeat of Anhelina Kalinina.
Americans Coco Gauff and Madison Keys will face off in the quarter finals. No.5 seed Gauff advanced after No.9 seed Elena Rybakina withdrew from their scheduled Round of 16 match due to a lower back injury.
World No.23 Keys booked her quarter final spot with a 6-2, 6-1 win over No.15 seed Victoria Azarenka.
