TWO GRAND SLAM CHAMPIONS JOIN WORLD NO. 1 AT NEW HAVEN OPEN AT YALE PRESENTED BY FIRST NIAGARA

Written by: Staff on 12th July 2011

TWO GRAND SLAM CHAMPIONS JOIN WORLD NO. 1 AT NEW HAVEN OPEN AT YALE PRESENTED BY FIRST NIAGARA

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark returns to Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia during their fourth round match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 27 June 2011. EPA/NEIL MUNNS |

NEW HAVEN, Conn., July 12, 2011 – Grand Slam Champions Francesca Schiavone (World No. 8) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (World No. 12) have committed to play alongside current World No. 1 and three-time defending champion Caroline Wozniacki at New Haven Open at Yale presented by First Niagara, a WTA event that is part of the Olympus US Open Series to be held August 18-27 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, it was announced today by Anne Worcester, tournament director.

Schiavone is coming off an amazing season winning the 2010 French Open and following that up by reaching the final this year. Earlier this year she reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world after a quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open. Schiavone first competed in New Haven in 2002 and is making her sixth appearance at the tournament. Kuznetsova won her first of two Grand Slams at the 2004 US Open when she was just 19 years old. In 2009, she took the French Open title, defeating the top two seeds en route. Kuznetsova has made three appearances at the tournament in New Haven, reaching at least the quarterfinals each time and capturing the title in 2007.

They will challenge Wozniacki who has never lost in New Haven; winning all three times she entered the tournament. Each year she has entered the New Haven Open she has climbed the rankings – in 2008 she entered at No. 30 in the world, in 2009 at No. 9, 2010 at No. 2, and now in 2011 at the top spot. Wozniacki’s title last year in New Haven catapulted her into the semifinals of the US Open, and her strong play in the fall winning Tokyo and Beijing made her the 20th woman in history to reach the World No. 1 ranking. She won a Tour-leading six titles in 2010, and has continued her winning ways this year capturing five crowns at Dubai, Indian Wells, Charleston, Brussels and Copenhagen while also reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open. This year she has the opportunity to tie Venus Williams’ four consecutive wins at the New Haven Open at Yale (1999-2002).

Joining these three are other top stars Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (World No. 13), Agnieszka Radwanska (World No. 14), Flavia Pennetta (World No. 21), Daniela Hantuchova (World No. 22), Roberta Vinci (World No. 23) and Maria Kirilenko (World No. 25).

At a career-high ranking of 13 in the world, Pavlyuchenkova is the youngest player in the top 50, turning 20 just a few weeks ago. She recently made the quarterfinals of the French Open in her best result at a Grand Slam, and won her latest of three career titles earlier this year in Monterrey, Mexico. This is her third time playing in New Haven.

One of Agnieszka Radwanska’s most impressive qualities is her consistency. The native of Poland has reached the Round of 16 in more than half of the Grand Slams in which she has competed. She has four titles in her career and will be looking to add a fifth in her third trip to New Haven.

Flavia Pennetta has been on the WTA Tour for more than 10 years and has nine titles to show for it. The Italian is currently ranked No. 21 in singles and No. 3 in doubles, winning the 2011 Australian Open Women’s doubles title with her partner, Gisela Dulko. This will be her sixth appearance in New Haven after reaching the semifinals in 2009 as the No. 3 seed.

Hantuchova, a WTA veteran, has competed in New Haven nine of the last 10 years. In her career, the Slovakian heavy-hitter has reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and three more Grand Slam quarterfinals, captured four WTA Tour titles, including this year in Pattaya City, and earned a career-high ranking of No. 5 in the world. Her best result in New Haven was a semifinal appearance in 2002.

After already winning three titles in 2011, including last week in Budapest, Vinci is having her best season yet. She is at a career-high ranking of No. 23 and shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. Her win last week gave her the sixth title of her career.

Rounding out the tournament’s stellar group of top 25 players is Kirilenko. Kirilenko has won five WTA titles, her first coming in Beijing in 2005 when she was just 18 years old. She is a consistent threat in Grand Slams, reaching the third round or better in seven of her last eight appearances. A semifinalist in New Haven last year, Kirilenko is looking to break through and win her first title in the Elm City. The defending New Haven semifinalist will make her seventh appearance in 2011.

Joining these top 25 competitors are other talented and accomplished players aiming to be champions at the 2011 New Haven Open. These players include last year’s finalist and nine-time WTA title-winner Nadia Petrova, four-time Grand Slam doubles finalist Elena Vesnina, Sara Errani, Klara Zakopalova, Palona Hercog, Anabel Medina Garrigues, Ekaterina Makarova, Lucie Hradecka, Loudres Dominguez Lino, Iveta Benesova, Alexandra Dulgheru, Ayumi Morita and Tsvetana Pironkova. The cutoff for entry into the tournament was a ranking of 49.

“We are delighted to showcase a field featuring the World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, two Grand Slam champions in Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova and a host of other top international stars from 11 countries,” said Worcester. “Our fans are guaranteed some amazing tennis from these players and we also have four wildcards to distribute in the coming six weeks thus we hope to add even more top talent to the field.”

The full field for the New Haven Open is set, with exception of wildcards, which can be awarded up until August 18, and qualifier spots. The tournament has four women’s main draw wildcards to distribute and there are four spots in the main draw for advancing qualifiers. All players will be aiming to raise the trophy on Saturday, August 27. The first finals match of the day will begin at 1:00 p.m. featuring the WTA Doubles Finals. Following the women’s doubles, the US Open National Playoffs Mixed Doubles Championship matches will be played. The 2011 tournament will conclude with the WTA Singles Final beginning at 5:00 p.m.

For tickets, how to become a volunteer, or more information about the tournament, please call the New Haven Open at Yale Box Office, 800-855-4-NHTENNIS or visit www.newhavenopen.com.