Miami  - WTA boss Larry Scott dropped a bombshell into women's tennis on the eve of one of the biggest events on the calendar Tuesday, announcing that he will step down to move to a university athletics job in the United States.

The resignation announcement prior to the Miami Masters came less than three months after ATP boss Etienne de Villiers was forced out and replaced with a lawyer, Adam Helfant, with little experience in the sport.

Scott, who worked with the men's ATP before coming over to the women's side and serving for six years as chief executive of the WTA, will head the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) PAC-10 Conference, effective July 1.

Scott oversaw a vast increase in prize money and a flourishing partnership with tour global sponsor Sony Ericsson, which turned headline players like Maria Sharapova and the Williams sisters into cross-over celebrities with forays into fashion, music and show business and computer gaming.

"With women's professional tennis more popular than ever, the Tour in the strongest business position in its history and a fantastic senior management team in place, now is the right time for me to embrace a new challenge consistent with my family and personal goals, and leave room for the next generation of Tour leadership to take on new responsibilities," Scott said.

He will work with the Tour Board on the selection process for his replacement.

"Under Larry's leadership, the Tour and our sport have grown over the past six years beyond anyone's wildest expectations," said Steve Simon, Tournament Board representative and chairman of the Tournament Council.

"As an organization and sport, we are positioned for continued success. We wish Larry the very best in his new role, and are looking forward to beginning the process of selecting a new CEO for the organization to lead us into the future."

Scott's latest crisis came at Dubai last month when Israeli player Shahar Peer was denied a visa into the Arab emirate, sparking a war of words, a fine of 300,000 dollars from the WTA and potential sanctions against the highlight event.

The resignation will also allow Scott to dodge a bullet in the ongoing case of the Williams sisters' boycott of the just-concluded Indian Wells Masters, a stance which for the first time in 2009 will result in sanctions for the millionaire sibling act.

Scott's tenure saw the passage of the Tour's Roadmap plan, the most sweeping reforms to the Tour calendar in its history to enhance the women's tennis product, and the achievement of equal prize money at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, with the top 10 events in women's professional tennis now featuring equal pay.

He also oversaw the signing of the largest sponsorship deal in the history of women's sport and professional tennis with Sony Ericsson at 88 million dollars over six years. The deal contributed to the establishment of the Tour on its strongest financial footing in history, including a 500 per cent increase in sponsorship revenues and two and one half times increase in overall revenues, a 40 per cent increase in prize money and 710 million dollars in new stadium investments.

Scott also saw the global expansion of the sport into new markets, including establishment of the Tour's first ever Asia-Pacific headquarters in Beijing. (dpa)