It was decided to hold the event at the Embong Sawo Sports Club in Surabaya. The British used to play cricket there before it was converted to tennis in the 1950's, and once there were grass courts, the only ones ever in Indonesia. But before the tournament arrived the place had become neglected. Extensive and speedy renovations were done, and within a month the place was transformed and the tournament was underway.
The first winner was Germany's Elena Wagner, and she beat Ai Sugiyama in the final. The following two years saw Shi-Ting Wang from Taiwan take the title, something that especially delighted Mr. Willy, as it was his aim while backing the event to encourage players from the Asian region. In 1995 she defeated another Asian, Yi Jing Qian from China, and in 1996 she beat Japan's Nana Miyagi. In 1997, top seed Dominique Van Roost from Belgium overcame Lenka Nemeckova from the Czech Republic in an all-European final.
The progress of the tournament was briefly interrupted in 1998 by the Asian financial crisis and the unstable political situation in the region. To his credit, Mr Willy stood firm and kept faith in the event, even continuing his support when the Women's Tennis Association forced the tournament to be moved to Kuala Lumpur for two years.
It would have been easier for him to say "we'd better call it a day", said tournament director Kevin Livesey. But he actually took the opposite route and said "Look, we want to show the rest of the world that Indonesia is still here and is alive." 

We were very disappointed when' the WTA, because of the political situation, insisted that we move the tournament, but they were two very successful years in Kuala Lumpur, and during that period we negotiated increased prize money for when we moved back to Indonesia and Bali. 
When the tournament resumed in 1999 in Kuala Lumpur after a one-year break, Sweden's Asa Carlsson beat American Erika De Lone in the final, and in 2000 Henrieta Nagyova became the only player in the history of the event to win both the singles and doubles titles in the same year, beating former French Open champion Iva Majoli for the singles crown.
Although the situation had stabilised at home for the second year in Kuala Lumpur, the tournament remained there to satisfy a condition set by the WTA as the Tour did not want to confuse players and upset the tour calendar with yearly changes of the venue. But in 2001 the tournament was back in Indonesia, and it was staged for the first time at the Grand Hyatt Resort, Bali. It was a spectacular occasion, as Indonesia's own Angelique Widjaja was given a wild card by the organisers and she rewarded their faith in her by beating South Africa's Joanette Kruger in the final. 

 In 2002, drawn by the praise heaped upon the event from players who attended the previous year, former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez became the first 'superstar' name to compete in the tournament, along with the legendary Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, but she was beaten in the final by what was then an exciting new name, Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia. 'Sveta', as she is known, also teamed with her mentor, Arantxa, to reach the doubles final.
Another Russian took over the trophy in 2003, with Elena Dementieva overwhelming American Chanda Rubin in the final. Angelique, meanwhile, claimed her second Wismilak International title when she linked with Venezuela's Maria Vento-Kabchi to win the doubles.
in 2004 the tournament reached a new milestone when it attracted both the reigning French Open champion, Anastasia Myskina, and recently crowned U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. In fact, Sveta also competed in the U.S. Open doubles final, going straight from the courts to the airport after her match to fly to Bali. Despite such an exhausting schedule, the amiable Russian won her second Wismilak International title, beating Germany's Marlene Weingartner, and she somehow also found the energy to reach the doubles final again with Arantxa.
In 2005, one of the most successful players in U.S. tennis history, Lindsay Davenport, hoisted the trophy after defeating Francesca Schiavone, and she re-captured her title two years later after Kuznetsova had claimed her third Bali title with victory over Marion Bartoli in 2006. In fact, the Russian has the distinction of never having lost a singles match in her three appearances in Bali. 

 In 2007 Davenport's victim in the final was Daniela Hantuchova. That was also the year that Commonwealth Bank took over as the title sponsor and the tournament was renamed as the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic. The following year, one of the tournament's most loyal supporters was rewarded with the trophy as Patty Schnyder overcame Tamira Paszek in the final.
In 2009 the success of the tournament was recognised by the WTA Tour when it was designated as the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, with players having to win at least one of the International Series events that took place around the world throughout the season in order to qualify. The tournament, having been played at a club in Surabaya, under a canopy in Kuala Lumpur and at a hotel in Bali, moved to a singles only format and indoors, to the nearby Bali Convention Centre at the Westin in Nusa Dua. Twelve players competed in a round-robin format, with Aravane Rezai emerging as the champion with victory over French compatriot Marion Bartoli.
In 2010 the format was changed to eight players competing in a straight knockout event, and Ana Ivanovic proved to be a popular winner as she overcame a strong challenge from Alisa Kleybanova.
But the tournament is not only about tennis at the highest level. As well as providing entertainment and drama from many of the biggest names in the sport, the tournament has always strived to put back into the community. 

2002 saw the establishment of the Bali Tennis Foundation and the Wismilak International officials decided that the entire tournament ticket sales should go into the Foundation's fund, geared to giving the youth of Bali an opportunity to play tennis. In later years, auctions of art, jewellery and items donated by superstars such as Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, Monica Seles, Andy Roddick, Ana Ivanovic, Andy Murray and countless others have helped raise money for various charities, most especially for Yayasan Senyum Bali (Smile Foundation), a social health non profit organisation that provides medical assistance and surgery for people with craniofacial disabilities.