Guadalajara is quickly gaining renown as a major hub for women’s tennis.

Later this year, the Pan American Tennis Center in Zapopan will be the venue of a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 event, the highest category tournament on the circuit outside of a Grand Slam.

The Guadalajara Akron Open will take place from October 17 to 23, and feature 64 of the world’s top female singles players and 32 doubles pairings.  The tournament will be at the same level as the seven other WTA 100 events scheduled in 2022: Indian Wells, Doha, Miami, Madrid, Rome, Montreal and Cincinnati.

The WTA decided to include Guadalajara on the tour schedule after canceling all its tournaments in China following the treatment Peng Shuai, the player who accused a former senior Chinese official of having sexually assaulted her. WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said Chinese authorities have not responded adequately to their requests for answers about the condition of Peng, who was not seen in public for several weeks after making her accusation on social media last fall.

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