Korea Open 2024: Women's draw, schedule, players, prize money breakdown and more
The 20th edition of the Korea Open is just around the corner, with main draw action set to commence on September 16 in the capital city.
Daria Kasatkina will headline the women's draw after several top players withdrew. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek pulled out due to fatigue, while defending champion and 2024 US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula will miss the tournament due to a rib injury. Other notable withdrawals include Emma Navarro, Elena Rybakina, Anastasia Potapova, Karolina Pliskova, and Katie Boulter.
The withdrawals have paved the way for other prominent players, including Emma Raducanu, Amanda Anisimova, Peyton Stearns, and Sloane Stephens. Additionally, Liudmila Samsonova, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Diana Shnaider will also be in action.
What is the Korea Open?
The Korea Open is a WTA 500 hardcourt event held annually in September in Seoul, South Korea. The tournament debuted in 2004, with Maria Sharapova winning the inaugural edition with a decisive 6-1, 6-1 victory over Poland's Marta Domachowska in the final.
Initially a WTA 250 event for its first 16 years, the tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was downgraded to a WTA 125 in 2021. It returned to the WTA 250 category for a couple of years before achieving WTA 500 status this year.
Notable past winners include Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Agnieszka Radwańska, and Jessica Pegula. No player has won the tournament more than once.
Venue
The Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center in Seoul, South Korea will host the 2024 Korea Open.
Players and Draw
World No. 13 Daria Kasatkina will headline the 2024 Korea Open. She has received a first-round bye and set to face either Sloane Stephens or Hailey Baptiste in the next round.
World No. 15 Liudmila Samsonova, the second seed, has also received a bye and could meet either Veronika Kudermetova or Shuai Zhang in the second round. No. 16 Beatriz Haddad Maia and No. 17 Diana Shnaider, the third and fourth seeds, have also got first-round byes. Haddad Maia could face Ajla Tomljanovic or wildcard Jang Su-Jeong, while Shnaider may play against wildcard Back Da-yeon or a qualifier.
Emma Raducanu will face Peyton Stearns in a highly anticipated first-round match. Sixth seed Yulia Putintseva will begin her campaign against Amanda Anisimova in another exciting opening-round encounter. Fifth seed Marta Kostyuk will take on Arantxa Rus, while seventh seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and eighth seed Yuan Yue will each face qualifiers in their first matches.
Schedule
The qualifiers for the 2024 Korea Open will take place on the 14th and 15th of September with main draw action set to commence on the 16th. The quarterfinals will 20th, with semifinal action scheduled for the 21st. The final will take place on the Sunday, 22nd of September.
Prize Money
The 2024 Korea Open will feature a prize pool of $922,573, a significant increase from last year. The prize money breakdown is as mentioned below:
Where to Watch
Fans from US, UK, Canada, and India can catch live action from the 2024 Korea Open on the following channels and sites:
US: Tennis Channel
UK: Sky Sports
Canada: DAZN
India: Tennis Channel
For more information regarding the broadcast of matches, click here.