WTA Pan Pacific Open scheduled to be held in Tokyo cancelled due to COVID-19

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Tokyo, July 28 (IANS) The WTA Pan Pacific Open, due to take place at Tokyo's Ariake Tennis Park in November, has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers said on Tuesday.

"The Executive Committee looked at every possible way to make this tournament happen, including the idea of holding matches without audiences or restricting admissions in order to prioritize the health and safety of everyone involved.

"However, after a series of deliberations, the Executive Committee made a heartrending decision to rule out the postponement, and concluded that the cancellation of the tournament was the best decision in the interest of public health, especially in light of the concern about the second wave of infection spreading in Japan."

Initially pushed back from September to November, the Pan Pacific Open is the third victim of the pandemic in Japan following the cancellations of WTA and ATP Japan Open.

The WTA had earlier announced that seven tournaments that were scheduled to be held in China on the WTA's 2020 provisional calendar will also not be held.

This meant the cancellation of the China Open, the Wuhan Open, the Jiangxi Open, the Zhengzhou Open, the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai and the Guangzhou Open, all of which were slated to be held in October and November.

"We are extremely disappointed that our world-class events in China will not take place this year," said Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO. "We share in the disappointment of many around the world who were looking forward to this swing and appreciate all the continued support from our fans, partners and the entire region, as we continue to navigate the remainder of the 2020 season."

--IANS

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