Bill Harper
 Caroline Wozniacki burst on the scene in 2008, winner her first of four straight tournaments in New Haven (then called the Pilot Pen tournament). It was just her second career WTA tournament title, and her first won in the U.S. According to tournament director Anne Worcester, they will be joined by 10 Top-25 players: Maria Kirilenko of Russia (14), Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia (15), Kaia Kanepi of Estonia (16), Flavia Pennetta of Italy (17), Andrea Petkovic of Germany (19), Nadia Petrova of Russia (21), former French Open winner Francesca Schiavone of Italy (22), Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic (23) and Zheng Jie of China (25). Also included in the field will be two-time Grand Slam Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. The former French Open (2009) and US Open (2004) champ from Russia is currently ranked No. 38 in the world.
Rising star Christina McHale of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., currently ranked No. 28 in the world, hopes to become the first American since Lindsay Davenport in 2005 to win in the Elm City. Rounding out the strong field are former world No. 5 and fan favorite Daniela Hantuchova, defending New Haven Open finalist Petra Cetkovska, 2012 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Tamira Paszek, Anabel Medina Garrigues, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Ekaterina Makarova and Mona Barthel.
20 of the 22 players to commit to play in 2012—all of them among the Top 40 women’s players in the world—have at least one WTA title on their resumes. As a whole, the field boats an impressive 121 titles among them, an average of better than five per player. Leading the way is four-time defending New Haven Open champion Wozniacki who has 18 tour titles to her name. Sweet Caroline is followed by Kuznetsova with 13, then Petrova and Medina Garrigues with 11 WTA titles apiece.
“This year’s player field is one of the strongest we’ve had, and we still have four Wild Cards to be named,” said Worcester. “To have 18 Olympians playing in the New Haven Open at Yale is a testament to our internationally competitive field. Fans are in for a real treat from the get-go, with exciting matches between some of the world’s best players in store from the first round on.”
For a complete list of the field, click HERE.
New Haven Open at Yale presented by First Niagara generates $26 million in regional economic impact. The women’s-only WTA event is part of the US Open Series and will be held August 17-25, 2012 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale. The tournament will also be prominently featured on ESPN2 beginning with Thursday’s session.
For a limited time only, all middle-tier tickets will be on sale for $15 (a 66 percent discount). Additionally, $2 of each ticket sold will be donated directly to Smilow Cancer Hospital Breast Center at Yale New Haven. First Niagara will also make a matching donation of $1 per ticket sold (up to $5,000). This “15-Love” promotion will run until July 26. For more information about the tournament and tickets, visit www.newhavenopen.com or call 1-855-464-8366.
—Bob Phillips contributed to this report
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