The Connecticut Open was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts under various names and in various venues from 1948 until 2019.

Connecticut Open
Defunct tennis tournament
TourWTA Tour
Founded1948
Abolished2019
Editions50
LocationNew Haven, Connecticut
United States
CategoryATP World Series
(1990–1997)
ATP International Series
(1998–2008)
ATP World Tour 250 series
(2009–2010)
WTA Tier IV
(1988–1989)
WTA Tier III
(1990–1994)
WTA Tier II
(1997–2008)
WTA Premier
(2009–2018)
SurfaceHard / outdoor

It was most recently a Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour, held annually at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center in New Haven, Connecticut, United States, just before the fourth and last Grand Slam tournament of the year, the US Open.[1] From 2005 through 2010, the tournament was also part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour.

In 2019, the tournament sanction was sold to APG, a sports and entertainment company, which transferred it to Zhengzhou, China.[2]

History

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The tournament was created in 1948 as the U.S. Women's Hardcourt Championships and first played in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Over the 20 years of its first run, the event was held in various locations in the western United States: San Francisco; Berkeley, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; Seattle, Washington; La Jolla, California; and Denver, Colorado. Among the winners of the event were Doris Hart, Darlene Hard, Nancy Richey, Rosemary Casals, Billie Jean King, and Jane Bartkowicz. The event was discontinued in 1969 after the beginning of the Open Era.[3]

In 1988, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) reinstated the tournament. The first edition of the new U.S. Women's Hardcourt Championships was held that year in San Antonio, Texas, first as part of Tier IV of the WTA Tour, then as an upgraded Tier III event in 1990. The championships were sponsored by Post Cereals in 1990[4] and by Acura from 1992 to 1994.[4] Over the first years of its second run, the tournament was won by several past or future World No. 1s, including Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, and Martina Navratilova. The event was held in Stratton Mountain, Vermont, in 1993 and 1994, but conflicts with the 1996 Summer Olympics prevented the tournament from being held the following two years. In 1997, the event returned again, now within Tier II and first in Stone Mountain, Georgia, then settling in 1998 in New Haven, Connecticut, under the new sponsorship of Pilot Pen.[3] In the first years of its run in New Haven, the renamed Pilot Pen International saw its competition dominated by Lindsay Davenport (four-time runner-up in New Haven, one previous time in Stone Mountain, and 2005 champion) and Venus Williams (four-time champion from 1999 to 2002).

New Haven was already host to a men's tournament, the Pilot Pen International. It was created in 1973 in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, as the Volvo International, and moved to Connecticut in 1990, where it took Pilot Pen sponsorship in 1997. When the men's event was cancelled in 1999, the women's Pilot Pen tournament remained the only one of the region.

In 2005, the USTA purchased the men's tournament of Long Island, New York,[5] and merged it with the women's Pilot Pen International to create Pilot Pen Tennis, the first large joint ATPWTA tournament leading to the US Open.[6] The tournament became the last event of the US Open Series and continued to attract top players, including champions Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova, James Blake, Justine Henin, and Nikolay Davydenko.

In 2011, after the men's competition moved to Winston-Salem, the newly women's-only event was renamed the New Haven Open at Yale.[7] In 2014, it was renamed the Connecticut Open.[8]

In 2019, the Connecticut Open ended due to a lack of funding. The tournament's sanction was sold and assigned to Zhengzhou, China, after the 2019 US Open.[9] In 2021, the Tennis in the Land tournament in Cleveland took over its former spot on the WTA schedule.[10]

Past finals

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Women's singles

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Location Year Champion Runner-up Score
San Francisco 1948*   Gussie Moran   Virginia Wolfenden Kovacs 2–6, 6–1, 6–2
1949*   Doris Hart   Dorothy Head Knode 6–3, 6–4
Berkeley, California 1950*   Patricia Canning Todd   Magda Rurac 6–2, 6–1
Salt Lake City 1951   Patricia Canning Todd (2)   Anita Kanter 6–1, 6–4
Seattle 1952   Mary Arnold Prentiss   Anita Kanter 6–1, 8–6
Salt Like City 1953   Anita Kanter   Joan Merciadis 6–0, 6–4
1954   Beverly Baker Fleitz   Barbara Green 6–1, 6–3
La Jolla, California 1955   Mimi Arnold   Patricia Canning Todd 6–0, 6–0
1956   Nancy Chaffee Kiner   Patricia Canning Todd 6–4, 5–7, 7–5
1957   Beverly Baker Fleitz (2)   Mimi Arnold 6–1, 6–1
1958   Beverly Baker Fleitz (3)   Karen Hantze 6–1, 8–6
Denver, Colorado 1959   Sandra Reynolds   Beverly Baker Fleitz 6–3, 6–2
La Jolla, California 1960   Katherine D. Chabot   Karen Hantze 4–6, 7–5, 7–5
1961   Nancy Richey   Dorothy Head Knode 6–1, 6–1
Seattle 1962   Carol Hanks   Marilyn Montgomery 7–5, 6–3
La Jolla, California 1963   Darlene Hard   Tory Fretz 6–1, 8–6
Sacramento, California 1964   Kathleen Harter   Kathy Blake 6–1, 6–0
1965   Rosemary Casals   Kathleen Harter 6–4, 4–6, 6–2
La Jolla, California 1966   Billie Jean King   Patti Hogan 7–5, 6–0
Sacramento, California 1967   Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz   Valerie Ziegenfuss 6–4, 6–4
La Jolla, California 1968   Maryna Godwin   Janet Newberry 6–3, 8–6
Sacramento, California 1969   Eliza Pande   Kristien Kemmer 7–5, 6–4
1970–
1987
Not held
San Antonio, Texas 1988   Steffi Graf   Katerina Maleeva 6–4, 6–1
1989   Steffi Graf (2)   Ann Henricksson 6–1, 6–4
1990   Monica Seles   Manuela Maleeva-Fragnière 6–4, 6–3
1991   Steffi Graf (3)   Monica Seles 6–4, 6–3
1992   Martina Navratilova   Nathalie Tauziat 6–2, 6–1
Stratton Mountain, Vermont 1993   Conchita Martínez   Zina Garrison 6–3, 6–2
1994   Conchita Martínez (2)   Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
  1995 Not held
1996 Not held
Stone Mountain, Georgia 1997   Lindsay Davenport   Sandrine Testud 6–4, 6–1
New Haven, Connecticut 1998   Steffi Graf (4)   Jana Novotná 6–4, 6–1
1999   Venus Williams   Lindsay Davenport 6–2, 7–5
2000   Venus Williams (2)   Monica Seles 6–2, 6–4
2001   Venus Williams (3)   Lindsay Davenport 7–6(8–6), 6–4
2002   Venus Williams (4)   Lindsay Davenport 7–5, 6–0
2003   Jennifer Capriati   Lindsay Davenport 6–2, 4–0 retired
2004   Elena Bovina   Nathalie Dechy 6–2, 2–6, 7–5
2005   Lindsay Davenport (2)   Amélie Mauresmo 6–4, 6–4
2006   Justine Henin   Lindsay Davenport 6–0, 1–0 retired
2007   Svetlana Kuznetsova   Ágnes Szávay 4–6, 3–0 retired
2008   Caroline Wozniacki   Anna Chakvetadze 3–6, 6–4, 6–1
2009   Caroline Wozniacki (2)   Elena Vesnina 6–2, 6–4
2010   Caroline Wozniacki (3)   Nadia Petrova 6–3, 3–6, 6–3
2011   Caroline Wozniacki (4)   Petra Cetkovská 6–4, 6–1
2012   Petra Kvitová   Maria Kirilenko 7–6(11–9), 7–5
2013   Simona Halep   Petra Kvitová 6–2, 6–2
2014   Petra Kvitová (2)   Magdaléna Rybáriková 6–4, 6–2
2015   Petra Kvitová (3)   Lucie Šafářová 6–7(6–8), 6–2, 6–2
2016   Agnieszka Radwańska   Elina Svitolina 6–1, 7–6(7–3)
2017   Daria Gavrilova   Dominika Cibulková 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
2018   Aryna Sabalenka   Carla Suárez Navarro 6–1, 6–4
  • From 1948 through 1950, the U.S. Women's Hardcourt Championships were a combined event with the Pacific Coast Championships.

Women's doubles

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Location Year Champions Runners-up Score
New Haven 2018   Andrea Sestini Hlaváčková
  Barbora Strýcová
  Hsieh Su-wei
  Laura Siegemund
6–4, 6–7(7–9), [10–4]
2017   Gabriela Dabrowski
  Xu Yifan
  Ashleigh Barty
  Casey Dellacqua
3–6, 6–3, [10–8]
2016   Sania Mirza (3)
  Monica Niculescu
  Kateryna Bondarenko
  Chuang Chia-jung
7–5, 6–4
2015   Julia Görges
  Lucie Hradecká
  Chuang Chia-jung
  Liang Chen
6–3, 6–1
2014   Andreja Klepač
  Sílvia Soler Espinosa
  Marina Erakovic
  Arantxa Parra Santonja
7–5, 4–6, [10–7]
2013   Sania Mirza (2)
  Zheng Jie (2)
  Anabel Medina Garrigues
  Katarina Srebotnik
6–3, 6–4
2012   Liezel Huber
  Lisa Raymond (4)
  Andrea Hlaváčková
  Lucie Hradecká
4–6, 6–0, [10–4]
2011   Chuang Chia-jung
  Olga Govortsova
  Sara Errani
  Roberta Vinci
7–5, 6–2
2010   Květa Peschke
  Katarina Srebotnik
  Bethanie Mattek-Sands
  Meghann Shaughnessy
7–5, 6–0
2009   Nuria Llagostera Vives
  María José Martínez Sánchez
  Iveta Benešová
  Lucie Hradecká
6–2, 7–5
2008   Květa Peschke
  Lisa Raymond (3)
  Sorana Cîrstea
  Monica Niculescu
4–6, 7–5, [10–7]
2007   Sania Mirza
  Mara Santangelo
  Cara Black
  Liezel Huber
6–1, 6–2
2006   Yan Zi
  Zheng Jie
  Lisa Raymond
  Samantha Stosur
6–4, 6–2
2005   Lisa Raymond (2)
  Samantha Stosur
  Gisela Dulko
  Maria Kirilenko
6–2, 6–7(1–7), 6–1
2004   Nadia Petrova
  Meghann Shaughnessy
  Martina Navratilova
  Lisa Raymond
6–1, 1–6, 7–6(7–4)
2003   Virginia Ruano Pascual
  Paola Suárez
  Alicia Molik
  Magüi Serna
7–6(8–6), 6–3
2002   Daniela Hantuchová
  Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
  Tathiana Garbin
  Janette Husárová
7–6, 1–6, 7–5
2001   Cara Black
  Elena Likhovtseva
  Jelena Dokić
  Nadia Petrova
6–0, 3–6, 6–2
2000   Julie Halard-Decugis
  Ai Sugiyama
  Virginia Ruano Pascual
  Paola Suárez
6–4, 5–7, 6–2
1999   Lisa Raymond
  Rennae Stubbs
  Elena Likhovtseva
  Jana Novotná
7–6(7–1), 6–2
1998   Alexandra Fusai
  Nathalie Tauziat
  Mariaan de Swardt
  Jana Novotná
6–1, 6–0
Stone Mt. 1997   Nicole Arendt
  Manon Bollegraf
  Alexandra Fusai
  Nathalie Tauziat
6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–2
  1996 Not held
1995 Not held
Stratton
Mountain
1994   Elizabeth Sayers-Smylie (2)
  Pam Shriver (3)
  Conchita Martínez
  Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
7–6(7–4), 2–6, 7–5
1993   Elizabeth Sayers-Smylie
  Helena Suková (2)
  Manuela Maleeva-Fragnière
  Mercedes Paz
6–1, 6–2
San Antonio 1992   Martina Navratilova
  Pam Shriver (2)
  Patty Fendick
  Andrea Strnadová
3–6, 6–2, 7–6(7–4)
1991   Patty Fendick
  Monica Seles
  Jill Hetherington
  Kathy Rinaldi
7–6(7–2), 6–2
1990   Kathy Jordan
  Elizabeth Sayers-Smylie
  Gigi Fernández
  Robin White
7–5, 7–5
1989   Katrina Adams
  Pam Shriver
  Patty Fendick
  Jill Hetherington
3–6, 6–1, 6–4
1988   Lori McNeil
  Helena Suková
  Rosalyn Fairbank
  Gretchen Rush-Magers
6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–2

Men's singles

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Location Year Champions Runners-up Score
Long Island
(exhibition)
1981   Brian Teacher   Yannick Noah 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
1982   Gene Mayer   Johan Kriek 6–2, 6–3
1983   Gene Mayer   Heinz Günthardt 6–7(9–11), 6–4, 6–0
1984   Ivan Lendl   Andrés Gómez 6–2, 6–4
1985   Ivan Lendl   Jimmy Connors 6–1, 6–3
1986   Ivan Lendl   John McEnroe 6–2, 6–4
1987   Jonas Svensson   David Pate 7–6, 3–6, 6–3
1988   Andre Agassi   Yannick Noah 6–3, 0–6, 6–4
1989   Ivan Lendl   Mikael Pernfors 4–6, 6–2, 6–4
Long Island 1990   Stefan Edberg   Goran Ivanišević 7–6, 6–3
1991   Ivan Lendl   Stefan Edberg 6–3, 6–2
1992   Petr Korda   Ivan Lendl 6–2, 6–2
1993   Marc Rosset   Michael Chang 6–4, 3–6, 6–1
1994   Yevgeny Kafelnikov   Cédric Pioline 5–7, 6–1, 6–2
1995   Yevgeny Kafelnikov   Jan Siemerink 7–6(7–0), 6–2
1996   Andrei Medvedev   Martin Damm 7–5, 6–3
1997   Carlos Moyá   Patrick Rafter 6–4, 7–6(7–1)
1998   Patrick Rafter   Félix Mantilla 7–6(7–3), 6–2
1999   Magnus Norman   Àlex Corretja 7–6(7–4), 4–6, 6–3
2000   Magnus Norman   Thomas Enqvist 6–3, 5–7, 7–5
2001   Tommy Haas   Pete Sampras 6–3, 3–6, 6–2
2002   Paradorn Srichaphan   Juan Ignacio Chela 5–7, 6–2, 6–2
2003   Paradorn Srichaphan   James Blake 6–2, 6–4
2004   Lleyton Hewitt   Luis Horna 6–3, 6–1
New Haven 2005   James Blake   Feliciano López 3–6, 7–5, 6–1
2006   Nikolay Davydenko   Agustín Calleri 6–4, 6–3
2007   James Blake   Mardy Fish 7–5, 6–4
2008   Marin Čilić   Mardy Fish 6–4, 4–6, 6–2
2009   Fernando Verdasco   Sam Querrey 6–4, 7–6(8–6)
2010   Sergiy Stakhovsky   Denis Istomin 3–6, 6–3, 6–4

Men's doubles

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Location Year Champions Runners-up Score
Long Island 1990   Guy Forget
  Jakob Hlasek
  Udo Riglewski
  Michael Stich
2–6, 6–3, 6–4
1991   Eric Jelen
  Carl-Uwe Steeb
  Doug Flach
  Diego Nargiso
0–6, 6–4, 7–6
1992   Francisco Montana
  Greg Van Emburgh
  Gianluca Pozzi
  Olli Rahnasto
6–4, 6–2
1993   Marc-Kevin Goellner
  David Prinosil
  Arnaud Boetsch
  Olivier Delaître
6–7, 7–5, 6–2
1994   Olivier Delaître
  Guy Forget
  Andrew Florent
  Mark Petchey
6–4, 7–6
1995   Cyril Suk
  Daniel Vacek
  Rick Leach
  Scott Melville
5–7, 7–6, 7–6
1996   Luke Jensen
  Murphy Jensen
  Hendrik Dreekmann
  Alexander Volkov
6–3, 7–6
1997   Marcos Ondruska
  David Prinosil
  Mark Keil
  T. J. Middleton
6–4, 6–4
1998   Julian Alonso
  Javier Sánchez
  Brandon Coupe
  Dave Randall
6–4, 6–4
1999   Olivier Delaître
  Fabrice Santoro
  Jan-Michael Gambill
  Scott Humphries
7–5, 6–4
2000   Jonathan Stark
  Kevin Ullyett
  Jan-Michael Gambill
  Scott Humphries
6–4, 6–4
2001   Jonathan Stark
  Kevin Ullyett
  Leoš Friedl
  Radek Štěpánek
6–1, 6–4
2002   Mahesh Bhupathi
  Mike Bryan
  Petr Pála
  Pavel Vízner
6–3, 6–4
2003   Robbie Koenig
  Martín Rodríguez
  Martin Damm
  Cyril Suk
6–3, 7–6
2004   Antony Dupuis
  Michaël Llodra
  Yves Allegro
  Michael Kohlmann
6–2, 6–4
New Haven 2005   Gastón Etlis
  Martín Rodríguez
  Rajeev Ram
  Bobby Reynolds
6–4, 6–3
2006   Jonathan Erlich
  Andy Ram
  Mariusz Fyrstenberg
  Marcin Matkowski
6–3, 6–3
2007   Mahesh Bhupathi
  Nenad Zimonjić
  Mariusz Fyrstenberg
  Marcin Matkowski
6–3, 6–3
2008   Marcelo Melo
  André Sá
  Mahesh Bhupathi
  Mark Knowles
7–5, 6–2
2009   Julian Knowle
  Jürgen Melzer
  Bruno Soares
  Kevin Ullyett
6–4, 7–6(7-3)
2010   Robert Lindstedt
  Horia Tecău
  Rohan Bopanna
  Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
6–4, 7–5

2011 earthquake

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On August 23, 2011, 1:51 PM local time[11] a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Virginia stopped play for two hours[12] while the main stadium was checked for damage by the fire department.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Connecticut Open | Connecticut Open". www.ctopen.org. Archived from the original on June 12, 2014. Retrieved 2020-05-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "Events". APG Sports Media. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  3. ^ a b pilotpentennis.com (2008-08-15). "2008 Pilot Pen Tennis Press Guide" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-08-22.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ a b sonyericssonwtatour.com. "Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Final Results: 1971-2007" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  5. ^ "USTA buys ATP event, moves it to New Haven". USA Today. Associated Press. 2005-05-09. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
  6. ^ USTA (2005-05-10). "USTA purchases ATP men's tournament to create first combined summer event". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
  7. ^ "Tennis tournament continues as New Haven Open at Yale". New Haven Open at Yale website. 2010-10-21. Archived from the original on 2010-11-23. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
  8. ^ "ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  9. ^ "Connecticut Open tennis tournament comes to an end after rights to tournament sold". Hartford Courant. 2019-02-01. Archived from the original on 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  10. ^ "Tennis in the Land brings WTA to Cleveland in August for first time". News-Herald. 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  11. ^ "Magnitude 5.8 – VIRGINIA". Virginia: USGS. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  12. ^ "Earthquake Causes Evacuation At New Haven Open". The Huffington Post. September 2, 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
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