Rio de Janeiro will be the "host site of the most important tennis tournament realized on Brazilian soil," according to Vinicius Konchinski of UOL. Starting next year, the city will host an ATP 500 event, which will be more important than the Brasil Open currently held in São Paulo. The Rio Open will take place from Feb. 15-23 in the Jockey Club Brasileiro "and will also have a women's version." The women's Rio Open will also be on the WTA calendar. The ATP 500 events are the third most important on the tennis schedule behind the Grand Slam events and ATP 1000 tournaments. The Rio Open "will be the first ATP 500 event ever held in Brazil." The current tournament in São Paulo is classified as an ATP 250 event (UOL, 3/26). AHE BRASIL reported "eight clay courts, including a central court for 7,000 people" will be built at the Jockey Club for the tournament. The prize pool for the men's tournament will be $1.25M and $250,000 for the women's event. Tournament organizers "expect to bring in some of tennis' top ten players" for the tournament (AHE BRASIL, 3/26).
