The 15th edition of the TEB BNP Paribas Tennis Championship Istanbul, popularly known as the Istanbul Cup, will be conducted from April 18-24. The WTA 250 tournament will be held on clay and is one of the Roland Garros lead-up events.
With the bulk of the top stars competing at the WTA 500 event in Stuttgart next week, the Istanbul Cup will provide players with a good opportunity to build some rhythm and win a title.
The tournament promises some enthralling action for fans over the course of the week. On that note, here’s all the information you need to know about the TEB BNP Paribas Tennis Championship Istanbul.
What is the Istanbul Cup?
Venus Williams won the first edition of the Istanbul Cup, which was held on clay in 2005. The tournament then changed its surface to hardcourt in 2010.
After six successful seasons, the event wasn’t held from 2011 to 2013 due to Istanbul hosting the season-ending championships. The Istanbul Cup returned in 2014 and two years later, the organizers reverted the surface to the original clay.
It has now completed 14 editions, with Romania’s Sorana Cirstea winning last year.
Top stars such as Caroline Wozniacki, Elena Dementieva, Agnieszka Radwanska and Elina Svitolina have triumphed at this tournament in the past.
Venue
The tournament will be held on clay at the Istanbul Tennis Center in Istanbul, Turkey.
Players
Last year’s runner-up and champion, Elise Mertens and Sorana Cirstea, are the top two seeds respectively at the Istanbul Cup this time. The 23rd-ranked Belgian headlined the draw last time as well but went down to Cirstea 6-1, 7-6 (3) in the summit clash.
Mertens, who has only reached a solitary quarterfinal in seven tournaments so far this year, will be eager to bounce back in Istanbul.
World No. 29 Veronika Kudermetova has been seeded third in this WTA 250 event. The Russian has already made a couple of finals this year, finishing as the runner-up at the Melbourne Summer Set 1 and in Dubai. Kudermetova will be eager to go one better this time around.
Anhelina Kalinina, Jil Teichmann, Ajla Tomljanovic, Sara Sorribes Tormo and Tereza Martincova round out the top eight seeds.
Schedule
The qualifying rounds in Istanbul will be held on Sunday, April 17 and Monday, April 18. The main draw action commences on April 18, with the grand finale scheduled for Sunday, April 24.
Prize Money
The total prize money on offer for the Istanbul Cup is $239,477. The winner will take home a cheque of $31,000 and 280 points.
Where to watch
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Viewers from the US can catch all the action at the WTA Istanbul live on Tennis TV & Tennis Channel, while fans in the UK will be able to see it live on Amazon Prime Video. Canadians can watch the matches live on TSN. In Australia, one can view the action on beIN Sports.