Goodbye Madrid, Hello Doha

DOHA, Qatar - After two phenomenally successful years in Madrid, Spain, the Sony Ericsson Championships moves to the Middle East for the next three editions with the Qatari capital hosting the season-ending extravaganza.

Sony Ericsson Championships - Qatar 2008 will be the biggest tennis event ever held in the region, with the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's Top 8 singles players and Top 4 doubles teams competing for $4.45 million in prize money. Current world No.1 Justine Henin may very well be aiming for a hat-trick of titles, having won both editions held in the Spanish capital, in 2006 and 2007.

The city of Doha has hosted a stop on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour every year since 2001, when it first held a Tier III event. The Qatar Total Open was upgraded to Tier II status in 2004 and in 2008 will be a Tier I event for the first time, offering prize money of $2.5 million.

The same organisers of the Qatar Total Open will be staging the Sony Ericsson Championships - Qatar 2008, promising an exciting spectacle for all who witness it live, on television or online. The season-ending event will be held from November 4 to 9; Doha will remain the host in 2009 and 2010, with Istanbul, Turkey having a three-year stint as host from 2011 to 2013. More information on the Sony Ericsson Championships - Qatar 2008 will be available on sonyericsson-championships.com throughout 2008.