STORY IN NUMBERS: INSIDE THE STATE-OF-THE-ART HOME OF THE WTA FINALS RIYADH PRESENTED BY PIF

(MENAFN- Hill & Knowlton) RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA, 6 NOVEMBER 2024 – The first edition of the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF has seen history made both on and off the court, with the first ever WTA event arriving in the Kingdom for the season-ending finals.
As a new chapter for the sport in Saudi Arabia, a new venue fit for purpose was called for, with the King Saud University indoor arena selected as the new home of the historic event for the next 3 years.
The arena was transformed into a venue fit for the world’s best female tennis stars, seeing a crew of over 2700 taking the state-of-the-art indoor facility from the planning phase to a destination to host a world-class tennis tournament across the three-month project.
With the venue’s key piece – Center Court – and its additional three practice courts being built from scratch by 15 people across 5 days, the production team was preparing well in advance for the biggest tennis event to be held in the Kingdom to date.
Inside the purpose-built tennis arena with a capacity for over 4,200 fans, the 576 LED screens wrapping around the top layer of the arena provides the King Saud University stadium with a state-of-the-art display, fit for the season-ending finals.
To ensure the action maintains its fast pace and high drama on court, 10,080 tennis balls were shipped in for the prestigious event featuring the iconic WTA Finals Riyadh branding.
The 6 dedicated commentary boxes for international broadcasters overlooking the lilac center court highlight the WTA Finals Riyadh’s role as the latest major event within the nation’s calendar of international sporting spectacles - with over 100 global sporting events being held in the Kingdom since 2018.
Away from the court, the interactive fan village features over 10 unique F&B options and a variety of activities for all the family – a key focus for event organisers to ensure the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF brings something for everyone.
With thousands of fans turning out for the season-closing spectacle, Arij Mutabagani, President of the Saudi Tennis Federation believes this event is the catalyst for a new wave of tennis fans in the Kingdom.
“This venue is the ultimate destination to host an event as prestigious as the WTA Finals, and we’re delighted with the positive reaction from the world’s best players towards this state-of-the-art arena,” Mutabagani said.
“As we approach the final matches of the WTA season, we look forward to seeing fans from across the Kingdom coming to experience this incredible event and witness the crowning of the season-ending champions in Riyadh.”
As the crown jewel of the Hologic WTA Tour season, the finals feature the world’s top eight female singles players and doubles pairings competing for the top spot in the PIF WTA World Rankings for the 2024 season.
Results from Day 5 – Wednesday 6 November
Wednesday’s play saw Qinwen Zheng (CHN) secure her place in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF, with a win over Jasmine Paolini (ITA) in straight sets. Ellen Perez (AUS) and Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) sealed their place in Friday’s semi-finals, emerging alongside undefeated pairing Taylor Townsend (USA) and Katerina Siniakova (CZE) in the final four.
Order of Play – Day 6 – Thursday 7 November
Fans can look forward to a thrilling Thursday at King Saud University, with WTA Finals 2023 champion Iga Swiatek (POL), WTA World Number 3 Coco Gauff (USA) and Wimbledon 2024 champion Barbora Krejicikova (CZE) in action.

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