WTA releases calendar for 2019 season

Ahead of its 46th anniversary, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has released the calendar for its 2019 season.

The new season will have a total of fifty-five tournaments and four Grand Slams across twenty-eight countries, WTA reported.

According to the revised calendar, Zhuhai will host the WTA Elite Trophy from October 22 to 27, while Shenzhen, home of the season-finale event for the next 10 years, will host the WTA Finals from October 27 to November 3.

The WTA has also included two new International level events- Hua Hin is set to host the WTA Thailand Open from January 28 to February 3, while Italy will host the Palermo Ladies Open from July 22 to July 28.

The Qatar Total Open (Doha), to be held from February 11-16, will return as a Premier event, while the Dubai Tennis Championships, to be held from February 17-23, will return to Premier 5 status.

Meanwhile, the Rogers Cup will shift its location from Montreal to Toronto and the JiangXi Open will move to the week following the US Open, from September 9-15.

The WTA was founded by former World number one Billie Jean King in 1973, with an aim to unite women's professional tennis under one tour. Since then, the WTA Tour has grown to more than 2,500 athletes and USD 146 million in terms of prize money.