ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—The WTA Tour has reached a contract extension with Sony Ericsson that continues their relationship through the end of 2012 but drops the mobile phone company as a title sponsor of the women's tennis tour.
In 2005, Sony Ericsson became the global title sponsor for the WTA Tour under a six-year, $88 million deal due to expire at the end of 2010. Now the circuit's name will just be ``WTA Tour.''
Sony Ericsson also no longer will have the title rights for the tour's season-ending championships.
Financial terms of the extension were not announced, but the tour said the ``net profitability'' will be the same as under the prior deal.
The new agreement is to be announced formally Monday.