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New Haven Open: Kvitova back to defend title in New Haven BY ROGER CLEAVELAND REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, reacts after missing a shot against Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, during a quarterfinal at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament, Friday, Aug. 16, 2013, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

NEW HAVEN — As is always the case with the New Haven Open which begins main draw play today at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, you may not see the biggest-name players but you will be entertained by some of the best women's tennis players that the world has to offer.

You won't see Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova, but you can see Sloane Stephens, the rising American star who beat them both this year. This year's Wimbledon champion, Marion Bartoli, retired from tennis a few days ago, but both the player she beat in the final, Sabine Lisicki, and 2011 Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova, will be in New Haven.

Kvitova, ranked No. 9 in the world, is New Haven's defending champion. Four-time New Haven winner, No. 10 ranked Caroline Wozniacki, is back seeking to win a tournament record fifth title.

In all, 16 of the world's top 30 players, including four of the Top 10, will compete in New Haven this week as a tune-up for the final grand slam of the year, the U.S. Open. The other two Top 10 players here are No. 6-ranked Sara Errani from Italy and No. 8-ranked Angelique Kerber from Germany.

The cutoff for direct entry into the main draw of the tournament without a wild card was the No. 41 ranking in the world.

"There is no doubt the depth of quality competition is very, very strong," tournament director Anne Worcester said. "Caroline Wozniacki

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is still the queen of New Haven. Martina Hingis has come out of retirement to play doubles, and each week she and Daniela (Hantuchova) have had more and more success, and they could very well end up in the doubles final here in New Haven."

In addition to Hingis and Hantuchova, the tournament will also feature the No. 1-ranked women's doubles team in the world, Errani and Roberta Vinci.

"There has been a huge, huge response to Martina Hingis playing," Worcester said. "Petra Kvitova, our defending champion, really captured the hearts of quite a few fans in New Haven last year. In the past Sabine Lisicki might not have been a recognizable name, but I think since she has reached the Wimbledon final with that megawatt smile of hers she has certainly become a very recognizable player."

Worcester said you might not recognize the Connecticut Tennis Center as being the same old place. Thanks to bonding monies from the state, Stadium Court has received a facelift. All the stairs and railings have been re-painted and the restrooms and concessions have been upgraded.

"It looks fantastic in here," Worcester said. "It sounds like no big deal, but it looks like a brand new stadium out there."

Realizing that they really can't sellout the 15,000-seat stadium court, tournament officials smartly decided to lower some of the lower bowl ticket prices, close off the middle tier seating.

"Every seat is a box seat," Worcester said. "Every seat has a back. No more bleachers. We have consolidated all of our seating to the lower section of the stadium in an effort to make sure the fans are as close to the action as possible and that there is even more of an electric atmosphere and buzz. We have had great feedback from fans, and I think it is one of the reasons our ticket sales are going so well."

Worcester said that going into the weekend, individual session tickets were up five percent over last year with group ticket sales and multiple-session packages showing a huge jump in sales. She said Pick 4 package sales have tripled over last year, the After Hour ticket package is up 47 percent, the Family Four Pack is up 400 percent and group sales are up more than 250 percent.

Worcester said the tournament has reached the point where fans understand they are getting a full entertainment experience at the New Haven Open.

"We keep adding more in-stadium entertainment and better use of the video board and music," Worcester said. "We made an investment to bring in an entertainment expert, and we have more fan-friendly promotions. All week long there is great there is great food, live music every night. The Aetna FitZone for kids has more in it than ever before with all kinds of interactive fitness centers."

Ultimately, fans come to see quality tennis, and Worcester said she is excited about this year's field, especially with the late addition of Stephens.

"Sloane Stephens has the potential to be the next big American star," Worcester said. "She has already had major results by the age of 20, is well-known for having upset Serena (at the Australian Open in January) and just this week beat Maria Sharapova. So while there have been years when we had mostly non-recognizable names but great talent, this year we have recognizable names and great talent."

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