The Hologic WTA Tour heads to Asia next week as a star-studded field descends on the Toray Pan Pacific Open. World No.2 Iga Swiatek and No.4 Jessica Pegula are the top seeds, with both set to play their first tournaments since the US Open.
Here's what you need to know about Tokyo:
When does the tournament start?
The Toray Pan Pacific Open is a WTA 500 event played on outdoor hard courts at the Ariake Tennis Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan. The tournament features a 26-player singles draw and 16-team doubles draw. The Yonex Tour ball will be used.
Main-draw play begins on Monday, Sept. 25.
When are the finals?
The singles final will be played on Sunday, Oct.1 at 12 p.m.
The doubles final will be played on Saturday, Sept. 30, not before 4 p.m.
Who are the defending champions?
Last year, Liudmila Samsonova captured her third title of the season by defeating Zheng Qinwen 7-5, 7-5 in the final.
In doubles, Gabriela Dabrowski and Giuliana Olmos defeated Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez 6-4, 6-4 in the final.
イガ・シフィオンテク選手、東京に到着!早速、練習開始です💕皆さん有明コロシアムに応援しに来てくださいね。
— 東レPPOテニス (@torayppo) September 21, 2023
東レPPOテニス2023🎾チケット好評発売中です。詳しくは公式サイトhttps://t.co/8HSUYGqjSe#東レPPOテニス2023 #torayppo2023 #東レPPO #PPO #TORAYPANPACIFICOPENTENNIS2023 #WTA… pic.twitter.com/AJvOBWjAWS
Who are the top seeds?
This year's Toray Pan Pacific Open feature the strongest field it has had in years. Six of the Hologic WTA Tour's Top have entered the field. The top four to six seeds (pending performance byes based on Guadalajara results) will receive first-round byes.
Projected top eight seeds:
1. Iga Swiatek
2. Jessica Pegula
3. Elena Rybakina
4. Marketa Vondrousva
5. Maria Sakkari
6. Barbora Krejcikova
7. Caroline Garcia
8. Daria Kasatkina
Update: Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova withdrew from the tournament ahead of the draw.
What does the draw look like?
Main draw in Tokyo (WTA 500), where Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina and Maria Sakkari are the top seeds.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) September 23, 2023
Tokyo is trialing performance byes. Two were allocated to Guadalajara semifinalists Caroline Garcia and Maria Sakkari, after their seeded positions were drawn. pic.twitter.com/FvwjSM96tM
What is the prize money and ranking points on offer?
First Round: 1 point/$8,310
Round of 16: 55 points/$11,500
Quarterfinals: 100 points/$21,075
Semifinal: 185 points/$43,323
Final: 305 points/$74,161
Champion: 470 points/$120,150
Other events this week:
The Ningbo Open will also commence on Monday, Sept. 25 in Ningbo, China. Petra Kvitova and Jennnifer Brady are the top seeds at the WTA-250 level event.