NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — The International Tennis Hall of Fame will move its enshrinement ceremony to August starting next year to better capture the attention of the tennis world on the eve of the U.S. Open.
The Newport facility also announced it will host a new combined men’s and women’s 125-level tournament in 2025, with equal prize money, to replace the men’s 250-level event that is being dropped from the ATP schedule after this week.
The combined Hall of Fame Open scheduled for July 6-13 will be the only grass-court women’s tournament outside of Europe. It’s the first time the hall will host a women’s pro tournament since the 1990 Virginia Slims of Newport.
“We … are thrilled to provide fans with double the tennis starting next summer,” tournament director Brewer Rowe said.
The hall for decades has hosted a men’s tournament the week after Wimbledon, with the Hall of Fame inductions held on Saturday along with the semifinals. Leander Paes, Vijay Amritraj and Richard Evans will be inducted into the hall this week in conjunction with the final edition of the 250 tournament.
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