Serena Williams became the first player to qualify to compete in the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships—Istanbul 2013 at the Sinan Erdem Dome from Oct. 22-27, after the Grand Slams. The top four doubles teams and the top eight singles players will be competing for $6 million, a record prize for the event.
Serena has a 51-3 record to date in 2013. She brought her WTA titles total to 53, after winning seven titles in 2013 in Brisbane, Miami, Charleston, Madrid, Rome, French Open and Bastad. Serena also regained her spot as world number one in February. She is the oldest player to ever hold that spot. She also became the 15th player all-time to surpass 600 career match wins after playing in Wimbledon this year.
The tournament in Istanbul hosted more than 73,000 fans in 2012. Matches were broadcasted in 167 countries over the course of six days of competition. The WTA Web site has a record-setting number of hits during the week of the tournament, with approximately 4.8 million page view impressions.
"I’m very excited to have qualified for the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships and have the opportunity to return to Istanbul in October to defend my title," said Serena. "The support we received from the fans at last year’s Championships was overwhelming and it’s going to be a very special feeling returning to Turkey and playing in that incredible atmosphere once again."
Kristina Hyland
Intern, Long Island Tennis Magazine
Kristina Hyland is from Lynbrook, NY. She is a senior at the University of Dayton in Ohio, majoring in public relations and minoring in political science. Kristina is interning for Long Island Tennis Magazine during the Summer of 2013. She can be reached at kristinah@litennismag.com.
