The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Kvitova first to commit
Czech star has won three titles in New Haven
A year ago, Petra Kvitova’s career was in peril as she recovered from a hand injury sustained in a home invasion.
Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, suffered a severe injury in the December 2016 attack and it was not immediately known whether her tennis career would resume. Yet she was back on the court within months and she soon committed to the Connecticut Open as she pieced together her abbreviated 2017 calendar.
Fast forward to 2018: Kvitova has won four titles and a WTA-best 30 matches, rising from No. 29 in the world ranking at the end of last year to No. 8 this week. Her story is the most compelling in the sport this year, as she re-emerges as an elite player just 17 months after a traumatic event.
And once again, she’s taking her game to one of her favorite spots. The Connecticut Open announced Tuesday that Kvitova will return to New Haven in August, giving the tournament an early commitment from a three-time champion and a marquee player.
“The Connecticut Open is one of my favorite events in the summer so it feels great to have it confirmed on my calendar,” Kvitova said in a news release. “I have a special relationship with the tournament and always feel such strong support when I’m on the court there. Last year didn’t go so well so I’m hoping to bring back my best tennis this year.”
Kvitova lost in straight sets to Shuai Zhang in the first round last year. But she has a strong history at the Connecticut Tennis Center, winning 19 of 23 matches in seven appearances with titles in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
The Czech native has often talked of her love for the quiet atmosphere in Connecticut as she prepares each year for chaos at the U.S. Open in New York. And despite the quick exit last year — her match spanned all of 67 minutes — Kvitova cleared her mind in New Haven and managed a run to the quarterfinals in New York, losing to Venus Williams.
She would advance to the semifinals in Beijing in October, but she fell out of the top 20 for the first time since January 2011. Yet as 2018 began, Kvitova’s game was on the rise.
After falling in the first round of the Australian Open, she won two tournaments in February (St. Petersburg, Russia, and Doha, Qatar). She has seven Top 10 wins this year, fueling her rise in the rankings.
This month she has won consecutive titles in Prague and Madrid. She has won 11 consecutive matches and is viewed as a player to watch in the summer tournaments.
Kvitova, 28, was a semifinalist at the French Open in 2012, and won at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014
“Petra has become part of the make-up of our tournament every summer,” Connecticut Open tournament director Anne Worcester said in a release. “She’s an absolute joy to have in our field and after the incredible start she has made in 2018, we couldn’t be more excited to announce her as our first
player. She has shown such courage to get back to her best after an incredibly difficult 2017 and is playing some of the best tennis of her career. I’m sure our fans here in New Haven are looking forward to seeing her play once again.”
The Connecticut Open will be held Aug. 17-25.
For more information about the 2018 Connecticut Open, including multi-session packages, weeklong box seats, sponsorship packages, hospitality and becoming a volunteer, visit www.ctopen.org or call 203-7767331.
Daily tickets for the tournament will be on sale starting the week of June 11.
The tournament will again feature a men’s legends event. Fairfield’s James Blake will face Tommy Haas Aug. 23, following the women’s quarterfinal night match. Hall of Famer John McEnroe will play Todd Martin after the night session Aug. 24.
The men’s winners will face off after the McEnroe-Martin match.