Parity by 2019: Hong Kong tennis chiefs boost women’s prize fund by 40 per cent

In a bid to achieve parity, the Hong Kong Tennis Association has boosted prize money by 40 per cent for women in this year’s national championships with a view to equal pay by 2019.

The women’s winner of the 2017 Prudential Hong Kong National Tennis Championships will now receive HK$28,000, compared with the men’s cheque of HK$42,000.

A total purse of HK$360,325 is on offer at the February 25-April 5 event, with the finals being held at Victoria Park.

“We are increasing prize money in the women’s events by 40 per cent this year [compared with 5 per cent for the men] with the intention of achieving equal prize money by 2019,” said Chris Lai, chief executive of the Hong Kong Tennis Association.

“We hope this will also encourage girls who want a career in sport to choose tennis as their best option. This is a natural step in the right direction, complementing the overall women’s sports development in Hong Kong.”

Wimbledon was the last of the four grand slam events to adopt equal prize money policy, in 2007. The US Open was the first in 1973.

Sixteen-year-old Claudia Ng Hei-ching is the defending women’s champion, but the field this year is almost certain to be a lot tougher with the participation of Fed Cup players, such as Zhang Ling and Venise Chan.