Organizers of the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup reminded fans
to order tickets for the tournament as soon as possible as 60
percent of the seats have already been sold.
The first phase of sales closed yesterday and were limited to
ticket holders at last year's event. Those with 2005 receipts were
offered a 40 percent discount for this year's event.
The price-cut was introduced to woo spectators disappointed by
the number of withdrawals from the tournament last year. Five of
the top eight ranked players in the world, including American Andre
Agassi and Russian Marat Safin, withdraw either before or during
the tournament due to injury or personal matters.
Only the top eight players in the world rankings qualify for the
annual Tennis Masters Cup, which is to be held at suburban Qizhong
Tennis Center. The weakened field, though a result of unfortunate
timing and bad luck, drew many complaints from local tennis
fans.
Single-day tickets for the November 12-19 tournament range from
100 yuan (US$12) to 1,380 yuan. Package deals cost between 2,200
yuan and 4,800 yuan.
(Shanghai Daily?May 19, 2006)
