Explained: Different kinds of WTA tournaments

Apart from the year-end championships, these are the events a female tennis player can take part in.

Tennis as we all know has a very heavy calendar. Be it for men or women, their yearly schedule is very gruelling. Firstly there are the Grand Slams which everyone knows about. In addition to those, there are also multiple other Women’s Tennis Association i.e. WTA tournaments.

These tournaments are equally important as they determine the ranking of players to a great extent. The ladies who fare well in these WTA competitions earn valuable points which help them push their individual rankings or team rankings for doubles players as the case may be. As such they don’t have to play qualification matches to earn their spot.

So today we are going to focus on all the events that comprise a female tennis player’s calendar year. 

List of types of WTA tournaments:

5. WTA 125

WTA 125 tournament is an international series of professional women's tennis tournaments organized by the Women's Tennis Association since 2012.

It also happens to be the second highest level of women's competition, right below the top-tier WTA Tour, and just above the ITF Women's Circuit tournaments. Players who succeed in the WTA 125s earn sufficient ranking points to become eligible for the main draw or qualifying draw entry of WTA Tour tournaments

These WTA tournaments also offer whooping prize money of $125,000–$162,480. 

4. WTA 250

WTA 250 tournament is a category of WTA tournaments in the Women's Tennis Association tour, implemented since the reorganization of the schedule in 2021. These events were formerly known as the WTA International Tournaments.

Since 2021, WTA 250 tournaments include events with prize money of approximately $250,000. The ranking points awarded to the winners of these tournaments are 280.

Some of the major events under the WTA 250 category are Hobart International, WTA Shenzhen Open, Mexican Open, Lyon Open etc. Surprisingly enough to date, no one has been able to break or even come close to Steffi Graf’s record at the 250 series. She holds 17 titles here. 

3. WTA 500

The WTA 500 tournament is a category of WTA tournaments in the Women's Tennis Association tour, implemented since the reorganization of the schedule in 2021. The prize money of this tournament is significantly larger compared to the previous two. The WTA 500 tournaments include events with prize money of approximately $500,000.

Consequently, the ranking points awarded to the winners of these tournaments are also higher (470). Some of the major WTA 500 tournaments are the Brisbane International, the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, the Stuttgart Open etc.

2. WTA 1000

The WTA 1000 tournaments are a category of tennis tournaments on the WTA Tour, governed by the Women's Tennis Association. The old WTA Premier Mandatory and Premier 5 tournaments merged into a single highest tier and it is implemented since the reorganization of the schedule in 2021. 

As such it is the grandest out of all the WTA tournaments. The prize money is a staggering amount of approximately $1,000,000. The ranking points awarded to the winners of these tournaments are 1,000. (Mandatory: Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, and Beijing) or 900 (non-mandatory: Dubai/Doha, Rome, Canada, Cincinnati, Wuhan and Guadalajara.

The current WTA 1000 event is underway. The 2023 Miami Open just got over on the second of April. Petra Kvitova became the singles champion defeating Elena Rybakina (7-6,6-2). On the doubles end it was Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula who came out strong. The American pair beat the Canadian-American pair of Leylah Fernandez and Taylor Townsend in straight sets (7-6,6-2). 

1. Grand Slams

The Grand Slam as we all know consists of four major WTA tournaments. The four Grand Slam tournaments are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. 

It is regulated by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Both the ATP and WTA award ranking points based on players' performances. It goes without saying that out of all the aforementioned WTA tournaments on this list, it is undoubtedly the most elite.