Coco Gauff was the big name - and the winner - at this year's ASB Classic. Photo / Photosport
Coco Gauff was the big name - and the winner - at this year's ASB Classic. Photo / Photosport
The women’s ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland may be heading for its biggest transformation in decades.
In a move that would change the face of the event, discussions are being held about upgrading the tournament to WTA 500 level, the next tier on the ladder.
The change in statuswould entail significant investment, as prizemoney would triple — to nearly NZ$1.3 million — along with a significant boost in the ranking points available.
Perhaps most importantly, it would enable Auckland to attract stronger fields.
WTA 250 events are limited to one top-10 player — Coco Gauff was the marquee female in 2023 — but there are no restrictions at the next level.
The Auckland tournament has been at the equivalent of WTA 250 level since its inception in the mid-1980s. There are traditionally up to 32 tournaments on that tier, while only 12 events at the higher level, including Brisbane and Sydney in the past and Adelaide in 2023. This year is reduced, with 24 WTA 250 events and 10 at WTA 500 level, with the suspension on tournaments in China.
The Weekend Herald understands Auckland officials are already in talks with the WTA about the move.
Tournament director Nicolas Lamperin confirmed it was on the agenda — and achievable.
“There’s potential to make it happen,” Lamperin told the Weekend Herald. “It does require a significant increase in terms of prizemoney. I can feel a lot of interest about the tournament, whether it’s from the current sponsors, the new sponsors that we’ve had, but also private investors. So this is an option. Now we just need to work through the specifics.”
Lamperin admitted the potential to attract more big-name players was a major appeal. He had four top-10 names interested this year but was only able to sign only one (Gauff).
Although Auckland did well to recruit high-profile players who have slipped out of the top echelon — such as 2021 US Open finalists Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez — that won’t always be the case.
“The 250 category is very restrictive,” said Lamperin. “So we are having a close look at the 500 because there will be no restriction whatsoever. We could get as many top 10 or top 20 players as we want.”
Emma Raducanu celebrates winning her match at the ASB Classic. Photo / Photosport
That was shown with the Adelaide WTA 500 event this year in the same week. The South Australian event attracted a quartet from the top 10, nine of the best 20 and 16 of the top 30. After Gauff, Auckland had Karolina Muchova (protected ranking of 22), Sloane Stephens (37) and Fernandez (40).
Traditionally, the Auckland women’s event pays appearance fees to four players in any given year, although the massive jump in prizemoney changes that balance.
Lamperin was coy about possible timing but it’s understood it could be an option in the short term.
“I can’t really comment on the time frame,” said Lamperin. “It really depends on the tour and whenever that door opens, which is not always the case. [But] there might be a window soon, which is why we are having a look at the situation.”
The Weekend Herald understands the timing will be tight for a change in 2024 or 2025 but it is not out of the question.
The overriding issue will be financial. The total prizemoney this year was US$259,303 (NZ$404,000), with Gauff taking away US$34,228 (NZ$53,000). The financial commitment in Adelaide was US$826,837 (NZ$1.29m), with the winner scooping US$120,150 (NZ$187,000). There is also an upgrade fee levied by the WTA.
“It’s clearly something we’re considering,” said Lamperin. “But we need to make sure it works within our model, which is based on the number of fans we can have, the revenue we can generate from corporate sales, the level of sponsorship we can attract in the country. So there’s a lot of parameters we need to evaluate over the next few weeks.”
ASB Classic tournament director Nicolas Lamperin. Photo / Photosport
Naming rights sponsor ASB renewed their deal last June for a further three years. Tennis Auckland has traditionally run the event, though Tennis New Zealand, who hold the WTA tournament licence, took a greater role this year. Many larger tournaments around the world are backed by private funding and Lamperin didn’t rule out the possibility of investors taking a stake.
“We could do it without investors,” said Lamperin. “But we would need to stretch everything with very little margin for error.”
Lamperin said it was “too early to say” what the possible model would look like, if investors came on board.
It’s an exciting possibility but any change to the tier is not without risk. It would necessitate serious redevelopment of the arena and could also put pressure on ticket prices in a competitive market.
It would also change the feel and look of the event, which has been a drawcard for many players over the years, seeking a low-key build-up to start the year. And it could compromise the financial margins delivered by the event, given the profits are vital for grassroots investment.
2016 Auckland champion Stephens had mixed feelings about the possibility.
“Tournaments have different reasons why they stay at the different levels,” said Stephens. “The reason why this tournament is great is because it’s a smaller tournament, but they get top players, which makes it really nice. It’s an amazing 250 with top players, top engagement and a great country that loves tennis. So [there are] reasons why you would and why you wouldn’t.”
