Octagon And WTA Announce Inaugural “San Diego Open” Tournament To Debut This October

The tournament will offer $823,000 in prize money and will have a 32-player singles draw and 16-team doubles draw. Qualifying rounds will be played Oct. 8-9 with Main Draw matches starting October 10 and concluding with the singles and doubles final on Oct. 16.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the return of the WTA to San Diego and the opportunity to host the inaugural San Diego Open WTA 500. The Barnes Tennis Center and our tournament partners, the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation and Octagon, are looking forward to making this an annual event that sports fans can enjoy for years to come,” said Youth Tennis San Diego/Barnes Tennis Center CEO and General Manager Ryan Redondo, who will serve as San Diego Open Tournament Director.

“The main stadium at our tournament venue will have a capacity of 2,000 seats which gives fans a great view of the court from any seat. We are going to have a very strong draw for this event and we’re anticipating a high demand for tickets,” Redondo added. “We will be making announcements in the coming weeks and months in regards to ticket sales, player entries, and tournament volunteers.”

“The SCTA Foundation’s mission is to grow tennis in Southern California. Our thanks go out to Octagon and the WTA for allowing professional Women’s tennis to return to San Diego. The Barnes Tennis Center is the perfect place to hold this event and it is sure to energize our tennis community,” said San Diego Open Co-Chairman Bill Kellogg.

The San Diego Open WTA 500 Tournament will mark the return of the WTA to San Diego County, which has a rich history of hosting top-level women’s tennis events dating back to 1971. The most recent WTA tournament was played in Carlsbad, Calif., in 2015.

WTA Grand Slam champions who have won titles in San Diego include Billie Jean King, Tracy Austin, Steffi Graf, Jennifer Capriati, Conchita Martínez, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams, Mary Pierce, Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Samantha Stosur.

In his two years as Youth Tennis San Diego CEO and General Manager, Redondo and his staff have transformed Barnes Tennis Center into a national tennis destination that offers summer camps, junior and adult tennis programs, outreach and education programs. Throughout the year, the 25-court tennis facility hosts a full calendar of local and regional tournaments, collegiate and high school championships in addition to Sectional and National USTA events, including the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16 & 18 National Championships in August.

After hosting the San Diego Open ATP 250 men’s tournament through a one-year license agreement with the men’s tour last October and the opportunity to showcase the San Diego Open WTA 500 tournament through a multi-year agreement with the women’s tour, Barnes Tennis Center has truly become an international tennis destination for the world’s top tennis professionals.

About Octagon:

Octagon is the preeminent talent management, integrated marketing, and creative agency in global sports and entertainment. The agency creates distinctive marketing campaigns for some of the largest brands and Fortune 500 companies across the globe and represents more than 900 of the most prominent and influential athletes, talent, and properties in the world. With more than 1,000 employees worldwide, based in 50 offices, in 20 countries, Octagon is positioned in virtually all areas of sports and entertainment.

About the WTA:

Founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 on the principle of equal opportunity, the WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sports. The WTA is one of the world’s most recognizable and high-profile sports organizations, consisting of more than 1600 players representing approximately 87 nations, all competing to earn WTA rankings points and prestigious tournament titles. The Hologic WTA Tour is annually comprised of around 50 events and four Grand Slams, spanning six continents and nearly 30 countries and regions with a global audience of over 900 million. Further information on the WTA can be found at wtatennis.com.

About Southern California Tennis Association Foundation:

Founded in 1986, the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and is the charitable arm of USTA Southern California. For three decades, the Foundation has raised money and made grants to tennis programs that serve disadvantaged youth, promising junior players, and select tennis tournaments and events.

In October 2019, the Foundation received a generous gift of $3 million dollars from an anonymous donor. The gift provided the inspiration and financial depth to propel the mission of the Foundation to the next level. Now, the primary objective is to build the Foundation into a world-class organization widely known for its impact on the people, communities, and popularity of tennis in Southern California.

The Foundation funds local programs, innovative projects, and events that increase access, availability, and participation of tennis for people of all ages, abilities, ethnicity, and economic backgrounds. The Foundation also offers scholarships that support promising young junior players who are working hard to achieve their tennis aspirations. To learn more about the Foundation please visit: sctafoundation.org.