The WTA Finals will pitch a tent in North Carolina in late 2027 as the roving wrapup to the season settles in for a three-year-run in Charlotte.

The WTA revealed the venue on Wednesday, with the southern US due to stage three editions.

The event highlighting the top eight points finishers in singles and doubles for the season has had something of a “homeless” problem since the Covid  pandemic in 2020 when it was scrapped for that season after fulfilling only the first year of a multi-edition contract in Shenzhen, China..

This season’s conclusion will be staged at Indian Wells, the Californian venue for an ATP-WTA Masters 1000 played each March.

Fears are growing that the desert chill of a November night may mean unsuitably cold temperatures which could affect play.

The finals have been staged at five eclectic venues in the six editions since 2021:  Guadalajara, Mexico, Fort Worth, Texas, Cancun, Mexico and Riyadh, Saudi (twice).

The upcoming Indian Wells edition is just another place-holder for a Tour which is reportedly running low on corporate cash but struggles on.

The event will be played at the home of the NBAs Charlotte Hornets, from 2027-2029.

“The multi-year partnership will give the WTA greater opportunity to shape the experience and identity of one of its most important assets, deepen relationships with fans and commercial partners, and build a championship platform designed to grow alongside women’s sport,” a PR release read.

“The WTA Finals represents everything that makes women’s tennis extraordinary: the world’s best athletes, competing at the highest level, on a stage worthy of what they have accomplished,” said WTA chairwoman Valerie Camillo.

“We have an opportunity now to lead by building a championship experience that reflects just how far women’s sport has come and where it is going next.”

“We want to create the Super Bowl for women’s sports. And not just the competition, but an event that is the annual gathering for women’s tennis, women’s sports, and women’s sport business.”

Main photo: WTA Tour Finals were previously played at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China

Jack Draper has bowed to his ugly injury reality,  announcing on Tuesday that he will end his disastrous 2026 season and aim to return for 2027.

The former British No. 1 who once touched fourth on the ATP, now stands a distant 155th and has not played a match since losing in the Cincinnati first round in August.

The 24-year-old has had no luck this season, with arm bone bruising causing constant problems and keeping him from the circuit. He managed only 15 matches this season and did not play in a single one of the four Grand Slams.

Draper spelled out his frustration in an Insta post:-

“Don’t usually love lots of words on here but I wanted to update you that I am aiming to return to the tour at the start of 2027. Last summer all the dedication and work I had put into this sport was coming together.

“It was all going my way and the path seemed so clear. However a complicated injury made things incredibly challenging and since that moment I’ve been desperately trying to get back and feel as I once did on the court. 

“Managing so much change, adversity and pain has helped me to grow massively in many areas of my life but has also made me feel a level of fatigue.

“I am taking this time to reset and heal so when I return I am 100% ready to go. Tennis is my purpose and passion and so when I step back on court I want to make sure that there’s nothing holding me back from where I want to go. 

“I really appreciate all the continued support from my sponsors and people who enjoy following my tennis and I look forward to being back on court to give it my all next year!”

Alexander Zverev dominated Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 to win the US open on Sunday and collect his second Grand Slam title of the season.

The German world No. 2 spent three and a half hours in extending the American men’s title drought at the home major. The last local to win the title was Andy Roddick in 2003 – the American podcaster was watching from the stands as his record remained untouched.

Shelton was competing in his first Grand Slam final while Zverev now owns 2026 trophies from Roland Garros and earned a runner-up finish at Wimbledon.

He now leads the points race to the ATP Finals in Turin in November.

“I know 99.9 percent of the crowd didn’t want me to win,” Zverev said post-match. “I’m sorry if it was the wrong winner. But i did my job.

“It was still an incredible atmosphere. Even if the crowd was against me, they still brought the energy and the noise. I was two points from losing in the first round.”

Zverev gave special mention to his team: “We went 30 years (his age in 2027) without a Grand Slam title, now we have two in the span of three months.

“God has seen how hard we worked and suffered. 2026 is the outcome of all that happened in the years before.

The winner also cited his mother who defied doctors when her son was diagnosed with diabetes at age four, yet managed to become an elite athlete.     

“It takes a strong mother to walk out of a doctor’s office saying ‘my son will be whatever he wants to be.’

“This illness will not define us, we worked through it. My mother is the most important and strongest person I know.”

Runner-up Shelton, who – like Zverev – is coached by his father and trailed by his family,  

He called the open “my happy place.”

“I love to spend time here and I wish this tournament never ended. But I’m just getting started, I’ll be back here again.”

Zverev made a bold recovery after dropping the third set as Shelton scrambled to try and get into the match.

The German  broke to start the fourth set and reinforced his lead with an insurance break for 5-2 as Shelton lobbed long.

A game later, Zverev delivered a service winner on match point, but did not seem to realise that he had won, pausing for a second before twigging that he was now the champion. 

Zverev now stands a perfect 6-0 over Shelton and erased the demons from the 2000 final played behind closed doors due to Covid. he lost that match to Dominic Thiem after leading two sets to love.

The world No. 2 leads the ATP with 53 wins this season, including 25 at the Slams.

The 29-year-old becomes the second German to win here after Boris Becker in 1989 and fourth man in Open Era to win his first two Grand Slam titles in the same season.

The experienced Zverev immediately got to work deflating the hype around Shelton as he broke the American in the first and final games of the opening set.

Shelton contributed to his own early downfall as he coughed up double-faults to lose both games.

He fell into a hole after 43 minutes in front of a packed house of more than 20,000 at the Ashe showcourt.

Zverev capitalised on his fast start by maintaining momentum in the second set, consolidating his lead with solid play as the set wound its way into a tiebreaker. 

Shelton played to the New York crowd, screaming after each success and cupping his hand to his ear and gesturing for more applause after his occasional winner against a rock-solid opponent. 

The German top seed took charge as he sprinted to a 5-0 lead and took a two-sets-to-love lead over the crowd darling with a service winner which Shelton could not handle..

Zverev stayed the course in the third set, saving the only break he had faced at around two hours into the final to stay level, 3-3.

But Shelton began to find an edge in the humid conditions, holding for 6-5 and earning three set points as Zverev began to unravel.

Shelton won the set as Zverev sent a volley wide on a second set point as the final moved towards the three-hour mark.

The German got to work in the fourth set, breaking Shelton to start and reached 2-0 as the finishing line began to appear.

Main photo:- Alexander Zverev celebrates winning US Open Title – by ISF Ltd