The 2014 PTT Pattaya Open, WTA professional women’s tennis tournament will again be held one week earlier next year from the 26 January – 2 February 2014, following on directly after the Australian Open. There will also be an increase in the prize money to US$250,000 as well as a major rebuilding of the courts at the Dusit Thani Hotel, Pattaya.
Tournament Director Mr. Geoffrey Rowe said that “with the event continuing in the same week following the Australian Open we can expect another strong field for the 2014 PTT Pattaya Open. On a recent visit to Wimbledon we discussed player commitment for the tournament and there was a lot of interest from top players and their representatives. We hope to have most of the key players on our list signed up by the end of the US Open.”
The Dusit Thani Hotel tennis complex will receive a major overhaul ahead of the 2014 PTT Pattaya Open.
The 2014 PTT Pattaya Open will continue the tradition of being staged at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Pattaya. It is now in its 23rd year, and is one of the longest running events on the WTA Tour tennis calendar. The WTA tour is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 2,500 players representing 92 nations competing for more than $118, 000,000 in prize money at the WTA’s 54 events and 4 Grand Slams in 33 countries.
Next year sees the prize money increased to US$250,000 as well as improvements to the courts at the Dusit Thani, Pattaya, with court no 3 undergoing a complete rebuilding in the autumn this year. There will also be changes to the compact stadium to improve the capacity and convenience for spectators.
Rising Thai tennis star Tanaporn Thongsing.
“With the number of spectators increasing each year we need to look at how we can maximize space at the stadium, without compromising the safety and convenience of the public” added Mr. Rowe.
Chang continues backing of Tanaporn
Meanwhile the Chang brewery has announced that it is extending its sponsorship of rising Thai women’s tennis star Tanaporn Thongsing. Tanaporn recently visited the Chang offices in Bangkok where she met with Surapol Utintu, Executive Director of Thai Beverage Marketing Co., Ltd and Pasavorn Peetarangsie Tennis Project Manager of Thai Beverage Marketing Co., Ltd.
Tanaporn has been training at the Schuttler-Waske Tennis University in Offenbach, Germany where she has been working alongside a number of well-known women tennis players who currently train at the University, foremost amongst whom are two of Germany’s top women tennis stars; Angelique Kerber who is currently ranked No 9 in the world and former top 10 player, Andrea Petkovic.
Tanaporn was in Thailand last month to compete in the Chang ITF Pro Circuit at Rama Gardens Hotel, and has now returned to Germany to continue her training and compete in German Tennis League tournaments throughout the summer. She will be back in Thailand at the end of November this year to compete in the US$15,000 Chang ITF Pro Circuit tournaments which are being held in Phuket.
