2018 Attendance Among WTA’s Best

Event Drew 50,255 To New Haven

Over 50,000 fans attended the Connecticut Open, making the tournament the third-best attended WTA-only tournament in the world, Women’s Tennis Association officials said Wednesday.

The tournament landed a handful of the world’s top-10 players, which likely helped bring the record number of fans for the fourth consecutive year. The official attendance was recorded as 50,255.

“This summer’s tournament created a buzz that we haven’t felt around the site in a number of years,” said Tournament Director Anne Worcester in a release. “We witnessed the birth of a new star for women’s tennis in Sabalenka and we were treated to matches worthy of the latter stages of a Grand Slam right from our first round. We expanded the off-court festival experience this year with the help of new and returning sponsors staging more fanfriendly activities such as the Avangrid Power Zone which included selfies with players, the Yale Street Fair and our inaugural Beer Fest at the Connecticut Open on finals Saturday.”

Not only did the tournament succeed in terms of attendance, according to the event officials, but it also raised thousands of dollars for charity.

“Many of our fans, sponsors and partners share our vision and commitment to benefiting the local community,” Worcester added. “We our delighted to confirm that we set several records this year in terms of our fundraising efforts.”

According to the release, the Connecticut Open raised more than $17,000 for the Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Havenand more than $8,000 for ShopRite Partners in Caring Food Drive. The tournament was also involved in numerous other fundraising ventures, including partnering with Yale to raise money for community-based activities and continuing the 50/50 program for local nonprofits.