Organizers show confidence in new Guadalajara Open by moving smaller 250 event

The decision is a further indication that the WTA 1000 in Guadalajara will keep its current position in the schedule, and there are no current steps being taken to move the event back to Beijing.

ByKamakshi Tandon

Published Oct 24, 2022

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WATCH: Championship point in Guadalajara: Jessica Pegula defeats Maria Sakkari to win her first WTA 1000 title.

The WTA 250 event in Guadalajara is moving locations but staying in Mexico, with local newspapers saying it will become the Yucatan Open next season.

The event, which takes place in February, was being played at the same location as the current WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open and will now relocate to Merida, the capital of Yucatan. The organizers of the two events had recently indicated they were looking for another location for the smaller tournament.

The Guadalajara Open is substituting for the WTA 1000 event that has usually been played in Beijing, but there have been no tour events in China since the start of 2020 because of the country's coronavirus restrictions, along with the WTA's decision to cancel its events there following the detainment of WTA player Peng Shuai in 2021.

The decision to move the smaller event is a further indication that the Guadalajara Open will keep its current position in the schedule and there are no current steps being taken to move the event back to Beijing.

Tournament director Gustavo Santoscoy told press he is confident that the event has a good chance of receiving an extension.

"Obviously we want to stay with the WTA 1000, we have been in talks for a long time, not just these days," he said.

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Previously, Santoscoy had also said the organization was "concentrating" on the 1000 tournament and looking for other locations for the 250 event.

"If Guadalajara keeps the 1000 it would be difficult to hold two important events," he told El Economista.

The tournament location has ascended rapidly from being a WTA 125 in 2019, and became prominent on tour in 2021, stepping in when the WTA was looking for another location for the WTA Finals, which were to be played in Shenzhen, China.

Having hosted a successful event with just two months of preparation, organizers were awarded a 1000 tournament this season, which has just been completed.

Third seed Jessica Pegula won the Guadalajara Open.