WTA bills Beijing as top priority in Asia

Beijing is preparing to take center stage in the world of Asian tennis this fall as the newly promoted China Open sits as one of four crown jewels in this season's WTA Tour.

"Asia has become more and more important in the sport's development around the world," David Shoemaker, the WTA Tour's chief operating officer, said. "(But) Beijing will be our primary focus in Asia."

He said the timing was right to dig deeper into the region.