New doubles format for WTA tour

BANGKOK, Jan 27 (Reuters) The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) will introduce a new doubles format at next month's Pattaya Open which aims to make matches more entertaining for spectators, organisers said.

The new scoring system is already being used on the men's tour and will see a third set replaced by a super tiebreak if the score is level at one set each.

The advantage point will also be removed and replaced with ''sudden death'', where the first pair to score a point after deuce will win the game.

The WTA has also scrapped qualifying stages for doubles at all tour events.

The 170,000 Pattaya Open dollar takes place at the Dusit Resort in Pattaya, east of Bangkok, from Feb. 3-11.

Marion Bartoli of France, India's Sania Mirza and Russian Maria Kirilenko have confirmed their attendance, along with Australian Open third round qualifiers Aiko Nakamura of Japan, Belarusian Victoria Azarenka and Australia's Alicia Molik.

REUTERS PM BST1326