Connecticut Open – Qualifying Entry List
TALENTED AMERICANS, UP AND COMING STARS, AND VETERANS HIGHLIGHT 2014 CONNECTICUT OPEN QUALIFYING FIELD ENTRY LIST
Qualifying Event Set For August 15-17; Tickets Only $7 On Friday & Saturday
The qualifying field entry list for the 2014 Connecticut Open presented by United Technologies features several talented American players, up-and-coming stars and veterans, it was announced today by Tournament Director Anne Worcester. The 2014 Connecticut Open, a WTA event, which is part of the US Open Series, will be held August 15-23, 2014 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale.
Five talented Americans are entered in this year’s qualifying field including Lauren Davis, who has made two WTA quarterfinals this year, most recently in Eastbourne; Alison Riske, who advanced to the quarterfinals in Hobart; Christina McHale, an Acapulco finalist and Strasbourg semifinalist; Vania King, who advanced to the semifinals in Shenzhen and Bogota; and Varvara Lepchenko, who boasts three Round of 16 appearances this year.
Joining the Americans are rising stars Karolina Pliskova, who advanced to the finals in Pattaya City and Nurnberg; Belinda Bencic, who advanced to the semifinals in Charleston and beat then-World No. 11 Sara Errani along the way; Monica Puig, who won the first WTA title of her career earlier this year at Strasbourg; Donna Vekic, who also won her first career WTA crown with a victory at Kuala Lumpur; and Zarina Diyas, who made the Round of 16 at this year’s Wimbledon.
A slate of veterans are also entered including Francesca Schiavone, who won the 2010 French Open and reached the finals of that event in 2011, boasts six career WTA titles and made the semifinals in Baku in 2014; Maria Kirilenko, a top 10 ranked player last year who returning from injury, also has six career WTA crowns and reached the finals at the Connecticut Open in 2012; Yanina Wickmayer, a US Open semifinalist in 2009, who made a quarterfinals appearance in Doha this year; and top seed Shuai Peng, who triumphed in Nanchang and made a finals run in Shenzhen this year.
One of the four qualifying wildcards has already been awarded to Caitlin Whoriskey from East Sandwich, MA, for her victory in the Ocean State Open USTA Tennis Tournament at Bryant University earlier this summer. Whoriskey played No. 1 in both singles and doubles for the University of Tennessee, and reached a top ten national ranking in both. Six players will advance through the 48-player qualifying draw, and gain entry into the tournament’s main draw.
Tickets for the first two days of qualifying are only $7. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.ctopen.org, or call 1-855-464-8366. In addition, the tournament is looking for additional Transportation volunteers, who have the unique opportunity to transport players and tournament VIPs in brand new Lexus vehicles. Volunteers receive benefits including free tickets, uniform, tournament credential, meal vouchers, free parking and more. To learn more about volunteer opportunities please visit www.ctopen.org.
About Connecticut Open presented by United Technologies
Connecticut Open presented by United Technologies is now owned by the State of Connecticut and is newly minted as a not-for-profit 501c3 charitable organization. However, the event has always existed to give back to the community, and has always been much more than just a tennis tournament; it is a leading example of leveraging a large-scale international sporting event to generate $26 million in regional economic impact and to build community pride, spirit and engagement, especially among youth. The women’s-only WTA event will be held August 15-23, 2014 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, and feature six different competitions including WTA qualifying, WTA singles, WTA doubles, Men’s Legends, US Open National Playoffs Championship, and the Maureen Connelly Cup. The Connecticut Open is prominently featured domestically on ESPN2 and also broadcast around the world. For more information about the tournament and tickets, visit www.ctopen.org or call 1-855-464-8366.
About United Technologies
United Technologies, based in Hartford, Connecticut, provides high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries. For more information, visit our website at www.utc.com or follow us on Twitter: @UTC.
Topics: Connecticut Open, New Haven, Tennis, Tennis News, Us Open Series, Wta
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