The WTA Tier III tournaments were Women's Tennis Association tennis third-level tournaments held from 1990 until the end of the 2008 season. The line-up of events varied over the years due to tournaments being promoted, demoted or cancelled.[1]
From 2009, most Tier III and Tier IV tournaments from previous seasons became WTA International Tournaments owing to a category change.[2] The main reason for the changes was to ease the pressure on players in terms of the number of tournaments that they were required to play.[3]
Events
edit| Tournament | Complete sponsored name | City(s) | Country A | Court surface | Tier III from | Years | Current/ Defunct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VS of Houston | Virginia Slims of Houston | Houston | Clay | 1990 | 1 | ||
| Tampa | Eckerd Open | Tampa, Florida | Clay | 1990 | 1 | ||
| Newport | Virginia Slims of Newport | Newport | Grass | 1990 | 1 | ||
| San Diego | Toshiba Classic | San Diego | Hard | 1990–91 | 2 | ||
| San Antonio | New Haven Open at Yale | San Antonio | Hard | 1990–92 | 3 | ||
| Sydney | New South Wales Open | Sydney | Hard | 1990–92 | 3 | Current | |
| Leipzig | Sparkassen Cup | Leipzig | Carpet (i) | 1990–92 | 3 | ||
| Barcelona | Barcelona Ladies Open | Barcelona | Clay | 1991–92 | 2 | Current | |
| Lucerne | European Open | Lucerne | Clay | 1992–94 | 3 | ||
| Osaka | Asian Open | Osaka | Carpet (i) | 1992–94 | 3 | ||
| Budapest | GDF Suez Grand Prix | Budapest | Carpet (i) (1993) Clay (2007–08) |
1993 2007–08 |
3 | Current | |
| Kitzbühel | WTA Austrian Open | Kitzbühel | Clay | 1993 | 1 | ||
| Schenectady | OTB International Open | Schenectady | Hard | 1993–94 | 2 | ||
| Brisbane | Danone Hardcourt Championships | Brisbane | Hard | 1993–94 | 2 | ||
| Linz | Generali Ladies Linz | Linz | Carpet (i) | 1993–97 | 5 | Current | |
| Oklahoma City Memphis |
Cellular South Cup | Oklahoma City (1993–2001) Memphis (2002–08) |
Hard (i) | 1993–2008 | 16 | ||
| Strasbourg | Internationaux de Strasbourg | Strasbourg | Clay | 1993–2008 | 16 | Current | |
| Tokyo Outdoor | Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships | Tokyo | Hard | 1993–2008 | 16 | ||
| Birmingham | Aegon Classic | Birmingham | Grass | 1993–2008 | 16 | Current | |
| Quebec City | Challenge Bell | Quebec City | Carpet (i) | 1993–2008 | 16 | Current | |
| Moscow | Kremlin Cup | Moscow | Carpet (i) | 1994–96 | 3 | Current | |
| San Juan | Puerto Rico Open | San Juan | Hard | 1995 | 1 | ||
| Zagreb Bol |
Croatian Bol Ladies Open | Zagreb (1995) Bol (2000–03) |
Clay | 1995 2000–2003 |
5 | ||
| Jakarta | Danamon Open | Jakarta | Hard | 1995–96 | 2 | ||
| Warsaw | Warsaw Open | Warsaw | Clay | 1995–98 2002–10 |
5 | ||
| Luxembourg City | BGL Luxembourg Open | Luxembourg City | Carpet (i) (1996–2000) Hard (i) (2001–04, 2008) |
1996–2004 2008 |
10 | Current | |
| 's-Hertogenbosch | Ordina Open | 's-Hertogenbosch | Grass | 1996–2008 | 13 | Current | |
| Madrid | Madrid Open | Madrid | Clay | 1997–2003 | 7 | ||
| Gold Coast | Brisbane International | Gold Coast | Hard | 1997–2008 | 12 | ||
| Prague | ECM Prague Open | Prague | Clay | 1998 | 1 | ||
| VS of Boston | Virginia Slims of Boston | Boston, Massachusetts | Hard | 1998 | 1 | ||
| Cairo | Dreamland Egypt Classic | Cairo | Clay | 1999 | 1 | ||
| Sopot | Orange Warsaw Open | Sopot | Clay | 1999–2004 | 6 | ||
| Kuala Lumpur Bali |
Wismilak International (1999–2006) Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic (2007–08) |
Kuala Lumpur (1999–2000) Bali (2001–08) |
Hard | 1999–2008 | 10 | ||
| Vienna | WTA Austrian Open | Klagenfurt (2000) Vienna (2001–04) |
Clay | 2000–04 | 5 | ||
| Canberra | Canberra International | Canberra | Hard | 2001 | 1 | ||
| Doha | Qatar Ladies Open | Doha | Hard | 2001–03 | 3 | ||
| Bogotá | Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas | Bogotá | Clay | 2001–08 | 8 | Current | |
| Acapulco | Abierto Mexicano Telcel HSBC | Acapulco | Clay | 2001–08 | 8 | Current | |
| Hasselt | Gaz de France Stars | Hasselt | Hard (i) | 2004–06 | 3 | ||
| Cincinnati | Western & Southern Open | Cincinnati | Hard | 2004–2008 | 5 | Current | |
| Guangzhou | Guangzhou International Women's Open | Guangzhou | Hard | 2004–08 | 5 | Current | |
| Bangkok | PTT Bangkok Open | Bangkok | Hard | 2005–07 | 3 | ||
| Kolkata | Sunfeast Open | Kolkata | Hard (i) | 2005–07 | 3 | ||
| Istanbul | İstanbul Cup | Istanbul | Clay | 2005–08 | 4 | Current | |
| Bangalore | Bangalore Open | Bangalore | Hard | 2006–08 | 3 | ||
| Bad Gastein | Gastein Ladies | Bad Gastein | Clay | 2007–08 | 2 | Current | |
| Viña del Mar | Cachantún Cup | Viña del Mar | Clay | 2008 | 1 |
Notes
edit^A a Years in the "surface" or "country" columns only refer to the period that the tournament was played on the surface or in that country as a Tier III tournament.
References
edit- ^ "Acura Classic upgrades to WTA Tour Tier I status". Acura Classic. 5 March 2004. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
- ^ Robson, Douglas (10 November 2008). "Players, officials iron out changes to WTA's 2009 plans". USA Today. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
- ^ Tandon, Kamakshi. "Withdrawal symptoms: WTA Tour looks at pullouts". tennis.com. Retrieved 3 August 2009.