The Women’s Tennis Association, better known by the acronym WTA, is the main governing body of women’s professional tennis. Originally founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, the organisation is today one of the world’s most influential and powerful tennis associations, overseeing some of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments alongside the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and International Tennis Federation (ITF).
WTA competitions may be standalone, women-only events, such as the Charleston Open, Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, and the WTA Finals, or may be held as joint tournaments alongside men’s ATP draws, as is the case with the BNP Paribas Open, Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Italian Open), Madrid Open, and the Miami Open. With plenty of WTA events to attend, therefore, fans can always benefit from some help in choosing the right event for them, and the right ticket to purchase, in order to get maximum enjoyment or value from their money. What event should you attend? On which day should you attend? Where should you sit? With those questions and more in mind, here’s everything you need to know about purchasing tickets for WTA events.
- Annual WTA Tournament Schedule
- WTA Players and Rivalries
- 2024 WTA Tickets & Prices
- How to Get to WTA Tournaments
Annual WTA Tournament Schedule
The annual WTA schedule is comprised of dozens of tournaments taking place across many countries. Events are categorised into tour levels, the most prestigious of which is the WTA 1000; events such as the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, BNP Paribas Open, and Guadalajara Open Akron are part of this tier. WTA 1000 competitions normally take place across 2 weeks and award the most prize money and ranking points of all WTA events. Below the WTA 1000 tournaments are the WTA 500 tournaments, such as the Adelaide International, San Diego Open, Mubadala Citi DC Open, and Pan Pacific Open. These events typically take place across just 1 week, and whilst they still award large amounts of prize money and plenty of ranking points, they award less than WTA 1000 events. Tournaments in all WTA tiers are spread out throughout the tennis season, providing women’s tennis fans with a host of events to watch from January to November.
In 2024, the first WTA event of the season across the WTA 1000 and 500 tiers will be the Brisbane International. The final WTA tournament of the year in either tier is expected to be the Zhengzhou Open. Koobit has the full WTA 1000 and WTA 500 season schedule.
WTA Players and Rivalries
As the WTA oversees the vast majority of women’s professional tennis matches, a wide range of players competes at the organisation’s events. The very best players will routinely contest WTA 1000 events, with other high-ranking players competing at WTA 500 events – although the top players must also appear at a minimum of 2 WTA 500 events each season, too. Those attending a WTA event are therefore highly likely to see competitive matches between able players, with the quality of a given event typically increasing the higher up the WTA tour levels it is held.
Many high-profile rivalries have played-out at WTA tournaments since the association’s establishment in 1973. Examples include Martina Navratilova’s rivalries with Chris Evert and Steffi Graf, and the rivalry shared by Serena and Venus Williams. As only a handful of major women’s tournaments such as the Billie Jean King Cup, the Summer Olympic tennis events, and the 4 Grand Slams, are held outside of the WTA’s jurisdiction, female players will regularly come up against rival players throughout the year when competing on the WTA tour.
2024 WTA Tickets & Prices
WTA tennis ticket prices can vary depending on factors such as the prestige of a given tournament, the dates for which tickets are valid, and other factors such as the seating sections to which a ticket provides access, and whether the ticket also includes extra perks, such as hospitality benefits. Often, although not without exception, WTA tickets are more affordable than equivalent ATP tickets and Grand Slam tickets. Similarly, buying tickets for women’s matches at a joint-ATP and WTA event is generally cheaper than buying tickets for men’s matches at the same tournament; women’s final day tickets are often marginally more affordable than tickets for men’s final day, for example.
At WTA 1000 events, a reserved seat on the main show court for a day or a single session could cost between USD $15 and USD $250 (or the equivalent in a local currency). Premium tickets and hospitality packages can cost even more. At WTA 500 tournaments more affordable tickets may be available.
How to get Cheap Tickets
One way to get cheap WTA tickets is to select an event within one of the WTA’s lower tour tiers. Tickets for WTA 500 events, for example, are usually more affordable than tickets for WTA 1000 events. Buying tickets to the opening days of a tournament can also help keep costs down; finals tickets are generally in very high demand, whilst tickets for the first or second round may be less popular and may therefore be cheaper. Lastly, the ticket type can also affect price. Grounds passes or other unreserved, general admission tickets are generally cheaper than tickets for reserved seats, particularly reserved seats on the main show court. If you wish to sit on the main show court, selecting a seat along the sidelines can sometimes be cheaper than sitting behind the baseline. Sitting in the upper rows of the grandstand may also help save you money, compared to buying tickets for seats on the front rows or close to the players’ chairs. Koobit compares the price of tickets from official ticket suppliers and secondary resellers, so that you can purchase the perfect WTA ticket at an affordable price.
Where to Buy Tickets
Whilst tickets for some WTA events can be purchased in-person at venue ticket offices or over the phone from ticketing representatives, buying tickets online is typically the best way of securing a seat. Purchasing tickets online allows fans to access ticket sales as soon as they open. They can then quickly and easily compare the price of tickets on different tournament dates, as well as the price of tickets for different seating sections or ticket types. Waiting to buy tickets upon arrival at an event risks not being able to acquire your ideal ticket – many ticket types or tickets for a popular day may be sold out prior to an event beginning. Tickets bought online can be downloaded and presented digitally on a smartphone device upon arrival at the venue.
How to Get to WTA Tournaments
Most major WTA events are held in large towns or cities, allowing fans to choose from a range of different transport options, when travelling to the tournaments. Many competitions can be reached by car – some large even offer on-site car parking for attendees – and most have multiple public transport links too. Koobit includes travel and parking information for WTA event venues, including car parking and public transport tips; visit a venue page for more information, or see an event page’s Travel & Parking tab for tournament-specific information.
For more information on a wide range of WTA events, including ticket prices, click here.