ISTANBUL, Turkey - WTA stars Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki officially launched the 42nd edition of the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships on Monday in Istanbul.
The tournament, which was held in Istanbul for the first of three years in 2011, features the season's Top 8 singles players and Top 4 doubles teams competing for the title and a share of $4.9 million in prize money.
"I am so happy to be able to be in Istanbul today to kick off the 2012 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships," Radwanska said. "Playing at the 2011 Championships, with sold-out crowds every night, was an incredible feeling I will never forget. I cannot wait for the opportunity to come back this fall and hope we put on another amazing week of tennis for the great fans in Turkey."
"Istanbul is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and I look forward to coming back here and showing its incredible tennis fans the very best of our sport," Wozniacki said. "Being here today definitely gives me the inspiration and motivation to work hard for the rest of the season and try my best to qualify for the 2012 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships."
The 2011 WTA Championships, co-title sponsored by BNP Paribas and its Turkish partner TEB Türk and also supported by Rolex, Turkish Airlines, Sony Xperia, Oriflame and others, registered the event's highest attendance in 12 years with 87,763 fans. It also set record broadcast and digital audience milestones in providing more than 500 hours of live coverage in 164 countries through 22 international TV broadcasters, the event's widest reach to date.
"We are proud of holding one of the most prestigious tournaments in the tennis world once again in our country," said Turkish Tennis Federation President Ayda Uluç. "The world's eye turned to Istanbul last year with over 37 million fans watching globally, making it the widest reach of any event in TTF's history."
"The WTA, together with our great partners the Turkish Tennis Federation, TEB, BNP Paribas and the Ministry of Youth & Sports, set an incredible foundation in Turkey for our sport during the 2011 Championships," said WTA Chairman & CEO Stacey Allaster. "With our Top 10 coming from 10 different countries right now, we are the most global sport for women in the world and last year's record attendance and international broadcast reach solidified the status of our WTA Championships as a truly world class, global sporting event. Together with our players and our great partners, we look forward to setting new milestones in Istanbul later this year."
First played in 1972, the WTA Championships has been staged in Boca Raton, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, Munich, Los Angeles, Madrid, Doha and Istanbul. Tickets for the 2012 tournament, which runs from October 23 to 28, can be purchased online or at Biletix ticket counters in Turkey.
