The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
World No. 1 Halep commits to Open
The top-ranked women’s tennis player in the world is coming to Connecticut next month.
The Connecticut Open announced Tuesday that No. 1 Simona Halep has joined the field for next month’s tournament. Halep, the 2018 French Open champion, last played in New Haven in 2014.
In 2013, Halep came to Connecticut as the 23rdranked player in the world and marched to the title with victories over two top-10 players (Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova). The victory in New Haven propelled Halep into the top 20 and she has steadily climbed the rankings since.
She was No. 2 at the end of 2014, 2015 and 2016. She finally became No. 1 in October 2017, becoming the first Romanian to reach the top of the rankings.
Halep has been No. 1 for all but four weeks since, dropping to No 2 in February. But she reclaimed the top spot Feb. 26 and she’s only solidified her ranking, reaching the final in Rome before beating Sloane Stephens in the French Open final. Halep, a finalist at the Australian Open in January, lost to Su-Wei Hsieh in the third round at Wimbledon two weeks ago.
“I am excited to return to Connecticut this summer and am grateful for the opportunity,” Halep said in a statement. “I have some happy memories from my title in 2013 and always enjoy playing in front of the fans there. The tournament’s strong field and similar conditions to New York make it a great way to prepare for the US Open so I’m looking forward to being back.”
The presence of Halep fortifies the field for the tournament, which runs Aug. 17-25 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale. Halep is the fourth top 10 player to enter, joining No. 6 Caroline Garcia, No. 8 Kvitova and No. 10 Julia Goerges.
Also committed to play: No. 13 Daria Kasatkina, No. 16 Ashleigh Barty, No. 18 Kiki Bertens, defending champion Daria Gavrilova (No. 23), Mihaela Buzarnescu (No. 24) and Dominika Cibulkova (No. 25).
The field will also feature every champion since
2012: Gavrilova, Agnieszka Radwanska (2016), Kvitova (2015, 2014, 2012), and Halep (2013).
“Five years ago, Simona won our tournament as an unseeded rising star on the WTA Tour,” tournament director Anne Worcester said. “Simona returns this year as the No.1 player in the world and the current French Open champion, which just goes to show that the Connecticut Open showcases not only young, upand-coming players, but also the best in women’s tennis.”
The tournament also announced a Halep-related promotion through the end of July. Fans can buy one ticket and get one free (BOGO) any adult-priced, individual session ticket (excluding front row) for Halep’s first match during the night session on Tuesday, August 21 or get 25% off any other session by using code CO18HALEP at ctopen.org/ tickets or by calling the tournament box office at 1-855464-8366.