Hawaii event will feature world-ranked women tennis players

Looking to expand its niche in world tennis, the state will host the professional Hawaii Open, the Hawaii Tourism Authority announced Tuesday.

A press conference has been scheduled for Thursday to announce details of a Nov. 20-27 event the HTA is billing as “Hawaii’s largest professional tennis tournament in decades.”

The Women’s Tennis Association event is to feature “32 world-ranked players,” the HTA said in a statement.

No site was announced but it is expected to be on Oahu.

The event comes on the heels of a first-round Federation Cup match between the U.S. and Poland at the Holua Tennis Center in Kona in February.

George Szigeti, HTA President and Chief Executive Officer, has told legislators he was encouraged by the event. “We had the Fed Cup for the first time in Hawaii and Venus Williams said it was the best Fed Cup she had ever, ever been to,” Szigeti said in March.