Hosting the WTA Finals was supposed to put the Chinese technology hub of Shenzhen on the map in the sports world, but the suspension of the tournament in the wake of the Peng Shuai scandal has left the city’s ambitions in limbo.
China’s “miracle” city, best known as the launching pad of the country’s 40-year economic transformation, is among China’s wealthiest and is home to tech giants including Huawei Technologies and Tencent Holdings.
In January 2018, the WTA announced that Shenzhen had trumped rival bids from Manchester, Prague, St. Petersburg and former host Singapore to stage what would “easily be the largest and most significant WTA Finals” in its history, WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said at the time.