TENN360 | THE FAN'S GUIDE TO THE TOUR
tennis is more than the score.
KOREA OPEN
Tour
WTA
Date of event
20-26 Sep 2027
Location
Seoul
Surface
Hard outdoor
Website
Singles Title
K Birrell
Doubles Title
H C Chan/F H Wu
Level
250
TENN360 INSIGHT:
The Korea Open has a rather lovely trick: it gives you WTA tennis in the middle of Seoul without making the tennis feel swallowed up by the city.
The tournament takes place at the Olympic Park Tennis Center, surrounded by the enormous Olympic Park complex. So you get the energy of one of the world's great cities, but once you're inside the grounds, things feel considerably more relaxed.
There is history here too. The Korea Open has been part of the WTA calendar for decades, and Seoul has become a regular stop for players on the Asian swing.
It is not trying to be the biggest tournament on earth.
And that's rather the point.
I'd look for a side-on seat relatively close to the court at the Olympic Tennis Center.
This isn't a tournament where I'd spend a fortune simply to sit in the biggest possible stand. The advantage of the Korea Open is that the venue feels much more intimate than a Grand Slam stadium.
Side-on gives you the best appreciation of the movement and court positioning, while being close enough to hear the players and feel the pace of the ball.
If you have the option of watching a match on one of the smaller courts, I'd take it.
The main court is where you'll want to be for the big names and later rounds. But the smaller courts are where you get that lovely tennis-fan experience of being properly close to the action.
And Seoul crowds can be wonderfully enthusiastic when a Korean player is involved.
Good.
The tournament actively promotes autograph opportunities and fan interaction, rather than treating players as something you are only allowed to observe from a distance.
The Olympic Tennis Center is also relatively compact, which helps.
I'd make the practice courts your first stop if seeing players away from the match is important to you, and I'd keep an eye on any official fan activities taking place during the tournament.
You probably won't stroll into the players' lounge by accident.
But you have a reasonable chance of feeling much closer to the players than you would at one of the giant Grand Slams.
I'd go if you want to combine a WTA tournament with a proper city break.
Seoul is the star attraction here as much as the tennis. You can spend the day watching players on court and then be eating Korean barbecue, exploring neighbourhoods or wandering around the city that evening.
I'd also go if you like tournaments that feel manageable.
You don't need three days and a complicated spreadsheet to work out how to see the grounds. You can concentrate on the tennis without feeling that you've accidentally entered an endurance event.
And if you're interested in the Asian swing, the Korea Open is a particularly nice way of experiencing it.
I'd make the most of the Olympic Park setting.
Don't just arrive, watch your match and disappear. Give yourself some time before or after the tennis to explore the park. It is huge, green and full of Olympic-era architecture and sculptures, so it makes a much more interesting backdrop to a tennis day than the average car park.
I'd also keep an eye on the practice schedule.
The tournament specifically promotes opportunities for fans to get autographs, and the relatively compact tennis complex means there can be a nice sense of proximity to the players.
And I'd definitely consider an evening session if you have the choice.
Seoul is a city that seems to get more interesting as the day goes on, and watching tennis under the lights before heading into the city for dinner is a pretty good way to spend an evening.
This is outdoor tennis in September, so don't assume the cooler calendar date means cool weather.
Seoul can still be warm and humid, and daytime matches can feel considerably hotter than the temperature on your weather app suggests.
The tournament's main sessions begin in the afternoon, with later rounds starting later in the day, so I'd favour an evening session if you're particularly sensitive to heat.
Bring the usual equipment:
Hat. Sunglasses. Sunscreen. Water.
And remember that humidity is sneaky.
You can be sitting perfectly still watching a tennis match and somehow feel as though you've just run one.
This is one of the easier tournament venues to reach.
The Olympic Tennis Center is inside Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, and the park is served by Olympic Park Station on Lines 5 and 9. Mongchontoseong Station on Line 8 and Hanseong Baekje Station on Line 9 also serve the wider park.
I'd use the metro.
Seoul's public transport is excellent, and the Olympic Park stop puts you in the right part of the complex without the hassle of trying to navigate event-day traffic.
There is parking near the tennis centre, but the Olympic Park itself warns that large events can make parking difficult and recommends public transport.
Once you're in the park, allow a little extra walking time.
It's an Olympic park, after all.
Things are not necessarily as close together as they look on the map.
I'd skip it if you're looking for a huge Grand Slam atmosphere with endless courts, enormous crowds and that slightly chaotic feeling of being part of a massive sporting machine.
The Korea Open is much more contained.
I'd also think twice if you dislike humidity or are travelling solely because you absolutely must see one particular player. As ever with a WTA 250, the field can change and the draw doesn't always give you the match-up you imagined when you booked the trip.
And if you're after a tournament with decades of famous traditions and rituals, there are other events that do that better.
Come to Seoul for the combination of tennis and city.
Power in Numbers
32
Single Draws
10,000
Centre court seat
14
Courts