By Sanex WTA announcement
November 26 2002

St. Petersburg, FL, USA (November 26, 2002) – The Sanex WTA Tour announced today the official 2003 season calendar which features 60 events in 31 countries. The 2003 season begins the week of December 30, 2002, with Uncle Tobys Hardcourts in Gold Coast, Australia, and the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. The season concludes the week of Nov. 3 with the $3 million Home Depot Championships presented by Porsche at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA.

“The Sanex WTA Tour has never produced a better product with outstanding athletes competing in beautiful settings around the world,” CEO Kevin Wulff said. “We are excited about the strength and growth of our sport and I have no doubt that 2003 will continue to elevate women’s professional tennis to new heights.”

The Sanex WTA Tour also announced several important changes to the 2003 calendar. The Advanta Championships in Philadelphia, PA (Oct. 27) and Hyderabad, India (Feb. 3) are new events next year. The Advanta Championships makes a return to the Tour after a 10-year stint from 1991-2000. The city of Philadelphia also hosted a tournament in 1971, 1973-1979. In addition, two tournaments are relocating as Bahia, Brazil, moves to Warsaw, Poland, during the week of April 28, and the Princess Cup in Japan moves to Shanghai, China, the week of September 15.

The announcement of the 2003 calendar comes on the heels of another outstanding year for the Sanex WTA Tour. The 2002 season witnessed another worldwide attendance record with more than 4.3 million fans, strong television ratings including the second-highest ESPN tennis rating during the Australian Open women’s final, 13 first-time singles champions, and a battle for No. 1 with a record eight changes at the top position.

The Sanex WTA Tour is the world’s premier professional sport for women. In 2002, more than 1,000 players representing 76 nations are competing for over $51 million in prize money at the Tour’s 64 events in 32 countries. More than four million people attended women’s tennis events in 2001 with millions more watching events on television networks around the world. The Sanex WTA Tour's season concluded with the Home Depot Championships presented by Porsche at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California, November 6-11, 2002.

Further information on the Tour can be found on the Internet at www.sanexwta.com.