WTA announces tournament award winners for 2021
The WTA has named the 1000, 500 and 250 level tournament that put forward the most excellent events this season.
The 2021 WTA season included 57 events across its calendar including four Slams, seven WTA 1000 events, 15 500 events and 29 250 tournaments, plus the WTA Finals and Tokyo Olympics.
Now, the organisation has unveiled its picks for the best tournaments at each of the three WTA tour levels; 1000, 500 and 250.
“The WTA Tournament of the Year Award winners have received recognition from WTA players due to the excellence of their staff and organisation, passionate fans and wider dedication to the sport and its athletes,” the WTA explained in a statement.
Indian Wells won the 1000 level category, the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy the 500 accolade, while the Phillip Island Trophy Melbourne and the Tenerife Ladies Open jointly won at 250 level.
The 2021 Indian Wells event was postponed from its normal slot in March due to the pandemic, returning from a two-and-a-half-year hiatus in October.
Then world number 27 Paula Badosa won the tournament there for her first title at 1000 level, propelling her 14 places to world number 13, the Spaniard eventually settling at a career-high of world number eight soon after before making her WTA Finals debut in November.
Home talent Daria Kasatkina won this year’s St Petersburg Ladies Trophy, defeating three compatriots in Veronika Kudermetova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Margarita Gasparyan en route to the title there.
World number 26 Kasatkina also won the 2021 Phillip Island Trophy, while American world number 47 Ann Li claimed the title in Tenerife.
Colombian youngster Maria Camila Osorio Serrano also made waves at the Spanish event.
The 19-year-old ousted top seed Elina Svitolina in the first round and recent 2021 Canadian Open champion Camila Giorgi in the semi-finals before losing to Li in the final.
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