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The 2023 Prague Open is one of two tournaments taking place on the WTA tour this week. It will be held from July 31 to August 6.
Marie Bouzkova claimed her maiden WTA title here last year and is back to defend her crown. She leads the pack as the top seed. The draw was initially headlined by 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, who has since withdrawn.
Another home favorite, Barbora Strycova, is also in the mix. The 37-year old is on a farewell tour at the moment and recently captured the doubles title at Wimbledon alongside Hsieh Su-wei.
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While most of the tour's heavy hitters are competing in Washington, the field is Prague is fairly competitive as well. On that note, here's a look at the all the relevant information about this edition of the Prague Open:
What is the Prague Open?
The tournament started off a an ITF event back in 2010, but became a part of the WTA Tour in 2015. Former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova claimed the title that year. Initially a claycourt tournament, it switched over to hard courts starting in 2020.
Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova stand out as some of the notable names to win the Prague Open in the past. The tournament is part of the WTA 250 series of events and features a 32-player draw in singles.
Venue
The tournament will be held at the TK Sparta Praha Stadium in Prague, Czech Republic.
Players
Defending champion Marie Bouzkova is the top seed. She recently reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in singles and the semifinals in doubles. 29-year old Zhu Lin won her maiden WTA title earlier this year and also made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open. She's the second seed here.
Zhang Shuai, who's aiming for her first win since February, is seeded third, followed by rising teen star Linda Noskova as the fourth seed. Former Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria and veteran Alize Cornet are among the other well-known names participating here.
Schedule
The qualifying rounds are set for July 29-30. Main draw matches will begin on Monday, July 31 at 11 am local time. The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Friday and Saturday. The championship round will take place on Sunday, August 6.
Prize Money
The total prize money for the 2023 Prague Open is $259,303. The winner will walk away $34,228 richer coupled with 280 ranking points. Here's a breakdown of the prize money and points:
Where to watch
Viewers in the US, Australia and UK can watch the Prague Open live on the following channels and sites:-
USA: All matches will be broadcast on Tennis Channel.
UK: British fans can catch all the action live on Amazon Prime Video.
Australia: Viewers across the country can watch the matches on beIN Sports.
For more information regarding the broadcast of matches, click here.
