Istanbul Cup 2022: Women's draw, schedule, players, prize money, order of play & more | TEB BNP Paribas Tennis Championship

Elise Mertens leads the field in Istanbul

The 15th edition of the TEB BNP Paribas Tennis Championship, popularly known as the Istanbul Cup, will be conducted from April 18-24. The WTA 250 tournament is being held on clay in the lead up to Roland Garros.

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.

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 switched to hardcourt in 2010.

The event wasn't held from 2011 to 2013 due to the fact that Istanbul was hosting the season-ending championships. The Istanbul Cup returned in 2014 and two years later, the organizers reverted to clay once again.

Top stars such as Caroline Wozniacki, Elena Dementieva, Agnieszka Radwanska and Elina Svitolina have triumphed at this tournament in the past, while Romania's Sorana Cirstea won it last year.

Venue

The tournament will be held on clay at the Istanbul Tennis Center in Istanbul, Turkey.

Players

Sorana Cirstea is the defending champion in Istanbul

Last year's runner-up Elise Mertens and champion Sorana Cirstea are the top two seeds at the Istanbul Cup. 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.

Second career title for @Sorana_Cirstea after 2008 Tashkent.

#IstanbulCup https://t.co/WKs0VTExy9

Mertens, who has only reached one quarterfinal in seven tournaments so far this year, will be eager to string together some solid performances 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 Dubai.

Anhelina Kalinina, Jil Teichmann, Ajla Tomljanovic, Sara Sorribes Tormo and Tereza Martincova round out the top eight seeds.

"Big hug and see you soon" 🫂

🇷🇴 @sorana_cirstea's looking forward to defending her Istanbul title!

🎥: @TennisChampIst | #TennisChampIstanbul
https://t.co/VURFbOVnTS

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

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.

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