First Coast loses women's tennis event after 31 years

(By Chet Fussman) It's the end of an era for professional women's tennis on the First Coast.

Officials for the MPS Group Championships announced Friday that the clay court tournament won't return next year, ending a three-decade history of WTA events in North Florida.

Changes in the WTA's 2011 schedule, which will be formally announced during the summer, gave tournament officials few realistic choices but to end the event. The tournament was played for more than 20 years at Amelia Island with Bausch & Lomb as the title sponsor before moving to Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach two years ago. read more