The Toyota Princess Cup, one of three official tournaments played in Japan on the women's professional tennis circuit, has been dropped off the WTA Tour calendar for next year, Japanese tennis officials said Thursday.
The tournament was inaugurated in 1997 as the third WTA Tour event in Japan following the Japan Open and the Toray Pan Pacific Open. Past winners include Serena Williams (2000, 2002), Jelena Dokic (2001) and Lindsay Davenport (1999).
Japan's Ai Sugiyama won the doubles in 1997 and 2000 while the 1998 tournament marked the final appearance in a Tour event by compatriot Naoko Sawamatsu.