Queen's Club women's tournament to offer equal prize money by 2029
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Queen's Club Championships - The Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 21, 2024 A general view of the stadium during the men's singles quarter final between Britain's Billy Harris and Italy's Lorenzo Musetti Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo REUTERS
Women's players will receive equal prize money to their male counterparts for competing at Queen's Club and Eastbourne by 2029, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) said on Thursday.
The women's event will return to the Queen's Club Championships this year for the first time in over half a century.
The prize money for the women's event will be $1.415m, the highest for a WTA 500 event of its draw size on the tour, but still less than half of the men's prize money of 2.5 million euros ($2.87 million).
In a statement, the LTA said it would "fully close the gap between WTA and ATP prize money at these events no later than 2029.
"This year the WTA 500 prize money at the (Queen's Club) Championships will rise to a record $1.415m...
"Whilst the WTA 250 prize money at the Eastbourne Open will rise to $389,000 – making this the highest paying WTA 250 event anywhere on the tour."
The Queen's Club women's event will be held in the first week of the grasscourt season from June 9-15 and will feature Australian Open champion Madison Keys, former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina and 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu.
The WTA 250 event in Eastbourne will take place from June 23-28, in the week before Wimbledon.
"We are making significant increases this year to the women's prize money at Queen's and Eastbourne and want to achieve equal prize money as soon as possible," LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd said in a statement.
"The LTA is committed to growing women's tennis, both at professional and grass-roots level and this move is an important part of that commitment."
On Thursday, Japanese four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and world number three Jessica Pegula of the United States withdrew from the Queen's Club Championships. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
22 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Maya Joint wins Eastbourne title to end Alexandra Eala's history bid
Australia's Maya Joint celebrating with the trophy after beating the Philippines' Alexandra Eala on June 28. PHOTO: AFP EASTBOURNE, England - Australian teenager Maya Joint saved four match points to clinch the WTA title at Eastbourne with a dramatic victory over Alexandra Eala that ended the Filipina's history bid on June 28. Joint survived a tense clash lasting two hours and 26 minutes, emerging with a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (12/10) win to seal her second WTA Tour title. In the youngest Eastbourne final since 1981, world number 51 Joint staved off the four championship points in a gripping final-set tie-break. She finally wrapped up the title by drilling a backhand winner before collapsing to the turf in delight. Having also defeated former Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu at Eastbourne over the last week, Joint has underlined her status as one of the rising stars of the women's tour. After winning on clay in Rabat in May, the 19-year-old has proved she can thrive on grass as well ahead of the start of Wimbledon on June 30. Joint is also scheduled to partner Hsieh Su-wei in the Eastbourne doubles final against Marie Bouzkova and Anna Danilina later on June 28. It was a painful defeat for Eala, who was so close to becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour title. The 20-year-old wiped away tears of frustration during the on-court trophy presentation. An emotional Alexandra Eala at the presentation ceremony. PHOTO: AFP Eala had become the first Filipina to reach a WTA final after beating Varvara Gracheva in the last four at Eastbourne on June 27. Eala's run to the final has made the world number 74 one to watch in the coming months. After progressing through qualifying to make the main draw, Eala beat Lucia Bronzetti, former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, Nottingham Open finalist Dayana Yastremska and France's Gracheva. She had burst onto the scene with three shock victories over Grand Slam winners Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek to reach the Miami Open semi-finals in March. Eala is due to face reigning champion Barbora Krejcikova in the Wimbledon first round on Centre Court on July 1. But Krejcikova is struggling with a thigh injury that forced her to pull out of the Eastbourne quarter-finals on June 26, putting the Czech's title defence in doubt. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
28 minutes ago
- CNA
Joint saves four match points to claim Eastbourne title
EASTBOURNE, England :Australia's Maya Joint saved four match points before beating Alexandra Eala 6-4 1-6 7-6(10) to win the Eastbourne title in a gripping final on Saturday. Four times Eala, the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final, was a point away from victory in the final-set tiebreak but Joint dug deep to prevail. The 19-year-old Joint showed tremendous resilience to stay alive and when she earned her second match point at 11-10 made no mistake, drilling a backhand crosscourt winner. While it was joy for Joint who claimed her second WTA title in her last four events having also won her maiden crown in Rabat on clay, the pain was too much for 20-year-old Eala, who went off court in tears to compose herself before the ceremony. "We will definitely play in more finals," Joint said after the youngest Eastbourne final by combined age since 1981. The men's final between Americans Taylor Fritz and Jenson Brooksby was taking place later at Devonshire Park.
CNA
41 minutes ago
- CNA
Upbeat Djokovic still hunts milestones with 20th Wimbledon looming
LONDON :Novak Djokovic says he is still hunting more career milestones as he prepares for his 20th Wimbledon bidding to match Roger Federer's record of eight men's singles titles. The emerging duopoly of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has shifted the focus away from the 38-year-old Serb who will be seeded sixth this year, his lowest since 2018. Despite that, no one will be dismissing the threat he poses as he chases an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title. Asked whether it felt like he was now more hunter than hunted, after being knocked off his perch by the young guns, Djokovic said his goals remained the same. "In a sense you're always hunting because you're always going for the titles, and in my privileged position, the records and more history," he told reporters after practising at a sunny and warm Wimbledon on Saturday. "I do feel that I'm always in that position of going for something with the attitude of trying to win rather than trying to defend." Djokovic has reached the final of the last six Wimbledons, losing the last two to Spaniard Alcaraz. He has not added to his Grand Slam collection since the 2023 U.S. Open, since when Alcaraz and Italian Sinner have shared them, winning three apiece. He admits he was outplayed by world number one Sinner in the French Open semi-finals but had taken encouragement from that run in Paris. A return to Wimbledon perhaps offers him the best chance of breaking their stranglehold and becoming the oldest Grand Slam champion in the professional era. "I would probably agree that Wimbledon could be the best chance because of the results I had, because of how I feel, how I play in Wimbledon, just getting that extra push mentally and motivation to perform at the highest level," he said. "Let's see. I like the way I feel right now physically. Tennis-wise I've been playing good on the practice sessions. Obviously completely different when you start a tournament. "But yeah, I'll try to have a very good tournament and go as far as I can." Djokovic opens his latest Wimbledon quest against Frenchman Alexandre Muller on Tuesday needing just three victories to become only the second man to reach 100 match wins at the grass court Grand Slam. Federer won 105.
