The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women and was founded to create a better future for women's tennis. The WTA's corporate headquarters is in St. Petersburg, Florida, with its European headquarters in London and its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Beijing.
Mary Caroline Pierce is a retired tennis professional who represented France internationally in team competitions and the Olympics. She was born in Canada to an American father and a French mother, and holds citizenship of all three countries.
Patty Schnyder is a Swiss retired tennis player. A former top 10 player in singles, she twice defeated a reigning world No. 1 player in her career: Martina Hingis at the 1998 Grand Slam Cup and Jennifer Capriati at the Family Circle Cup in 2002. In addition, she has notable wins over former number ones Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin, Amélie Mauresmo, Maria Sharapova, Jelena Janković, Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki.
Shahar Pe'er is an Israeli retired tennis player.
The Connecticut Open was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was a WTA Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour until its final edition in 2018. From 2005 through 2010 the tournament was also part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour. It was held annually at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center in New Haven, Connecticut, United States, just before the fourth and last Grand Slam tournament of the year, the US Open. in 2019 the tournament sanction was sold to APG, a leading Sports and Entertainment company. The tournament sanction was relocated to Zhengzhou City, China.
Romina Sarina Oprandi is a former tennis player. She has dual Swiss-Italian citizenship and represented Italy from her professional debut in 2005 until January 2012, when she joined the Swiss tennis federation.
The WTA Tour is the elite tour for professional women's tennis organised by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). The WTA Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tour Championships and the WTA Tier I, Tier II, Tier III, Tier IV and Tier V events. ITF tournaments are not part of the WTA Tour, although they award points for the WTA World Ranking.
The 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2008 tennis season. The 2008 WTA Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tier I-IV Events, the Fed Cup, the year-end championships, and the tennis event at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
The Brisbane International established in 2009 is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts in Brisbane, Queensland. It is a WTA Premier tournament of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour until 2019, when it was dropped from the ATP Tour.
The Ladies Championship Lausanne is a women's professional tennis tournament which is currently played in Lausanne but has played in a number of locations in Switzerland. The event was called the WTA Swiss Open from 1899–1994, and was played on outdoor clay courts. The tournament underwent a name change in 1986, when it was titled the European Open until its discontinuation. It formed part of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. When the WTA introduced the tiering format to its circuit, the event gradually moved up, from being a Tier V in 1988–1989, a Tier IV from 1990–1992, and a Tier III for its remaining years. The WTA announced that the tournament would return in Gstaad as a clay event on the 2016 Tour, replacing another clay court event held in Bad Gastein.
The WTA Tier II tournaments were Women's Tennis Association tennis second-level tournaments held from 1990 until the end of the 2008 season. The line-up of events varied over the years, with tournaments being promoted, demoted or cancelled.
The WTA Tier IV tournaments were Women's Tennis Association tennis fourth-level tournaments held from 1990 until the end of the 2008 season. The line-up of events varied over the years, with tournaments being promoted, demoted or cancelled. Some of the tournaments became Tier V events between 1990 and 1992 and later from 2001 to 2005 before being integrated back into Tier IV.
The 2004 Acura Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts in San Diego, California, in the United States. It was part of Tier I of the 2004 WTA Tour. It was the 26th edition of the tournament was held from July 25 through August 1, 2004. Fourth-seeded Lindsay Davenport won the singles title and earned $189,000 first-prize money.
The 1996 Acura Classic was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach, California in the United States that was part of Tier II of the 1996 WTA Tour. It was the 23rd edition of the tournament and was held from August 12 through August 18, 1996.
The 1997 Acura Classic was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach, California in the United States that was part of Tier II of the 1997 WTA Tour. The tournament was held from August 4 through August 10, 1997.
The 1998 Acura Classic was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach, California in the United States that was part of Tier II of the 1998 WTA Tour. The tournament was held from August 10 through August 16, 1998.
The 1995 Acura Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach, California in the United States that was part of Tier II of the 1995 WTA Tour. It was the 22nd edition of the tournament and was held from August 7 through August 13, 1995. Second-seeded Conchita Martínez won the singles title and earned $79,500 first-prize money.
The Southern California Open was a WTA 125K series affiliated professional women's tennis tournament held at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.
The Open Era is the current era of professional tennis. It began in 1968 when the Grand Slam tournaments allowed professional players to compete with amateurs, ending the division that had persisted in men's tennis since the dawn of the sport in the 19th century. The first "open" event was held in Bournemouth, England, followed by the inaugural open Grand Slam event a month later.
The WTA Tier V tournaments were the fifth, and lowest, level of women's tennis tournaments on the WTA Tour between 1990 and 1992 and from 2001 to 2005. The line-up of events varied over the years, with tournaments being promoted, demoted or cancelled. Most of the Tier V tournaments became Tier IV events between 1993 and 2000 and from 2006 to 2008.
