bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Nazvi Careem

HONG KONG'S only major international women's tournament has lost its title sponsor - but organisers of the event voted best in the world in its category are already on the lookout for new backers.

  Computer company Digital has pulled out of the $780,000 Hong Kong Open, which is part of the Women's Tennis Association official Tour.

  Mark Livesey, of organisers Pro Tennis Asia, said: ''We believe they pulled out because of the recession in their industry.

  ''It has nothing to do with the quality of the tournament which last year was voted the best US$100,000 event in the world by the players and the WTA.

  ''It also had the best television coverage, according to the WTA, so you would think that the event would be rolling around in cash. We are talking to a few people although nothing has been confirmed yet.''   The title sponsor would be expected to put in close to $1 million to cover the prize pool and other promotional aspects.

  Organisers are also seeking several subsidiary sponsors to meet the extra costs.

  Livesey said the November 7-13 tournament will continue to serve its original function of catering for Asian players seeking to enhance their world rankings.

  One of the problems faced by organisers in securing a title sponsor is that Digital decided to withdraw their support so late.

  And with the tournament only four months away, promoters Spectrum Plus, who have been assigned the task of securing sponsorship, have limited time in which to fulfil their part of the bargain.

  Earlier this year, the dates of the event were moved from September to November.

  ''This was a move initiated by us,'' added Livesey. ''It is later in the season and it would be much better for us.

  ''We want a lot of Asian players to take part and September would have been a difficult time to get all those players together. Also, last year was a nightmare with the weather.

  ''Most of the women who played last year are expected to return.''   Last year's inaugural tournament was severely disrupted by tropical storm Becky, which destroyed the temporary marquees at Victoria Park.

  Fortunately, the storm struck during the early stages of the tournament, and after a massive clean-up effort, the event continued.

  The tournament was won by Taiwan's Wang Shi-ting, the Asian champion, who has pledged to defend her title.

  Former Hong Kong Federation Cup player, Patricia Hy, who now represents Canada, was the top seed in last year's event.

  Hy, whose ambition is to win a tournament in Hong Kong where she had lived for 17 years, was beaten in the semi-finals by American Marianne Werdel.

  But the Canadian number one vowed after her defeat to return to the territory in another attempt to win in her former home.

  The territory joined the Tour, which was revamped last year, as a Tier IV event on the WTA calendar. These tournaments serve mainly as a stage for rising players to earn world ranking points.

  The four Grand Slam tournaments - Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open - are top of the list followed by the lucrative Virginia Slims circuit.

  But the WTA Tour Tier events are providing strong competition with the Tier I events able to generate a minimum of US$750,000 in prize money with 470 ranking points to the winner.

  Tier II events offer a minimum of US$375,000 in prize money with 300 points to the winner, while Tier III tournaments are worth US$150,000 and 190 computer points.



Hunt on for title sponsor