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2011 New Haven Open Jack Cunniff
Jack Cunniff
You can follow Jack Cunniff’s tennis facts and trivia on Twitter at @jrcunniff.
New Haven Wrap-up, Friday, August 26
Summaries of Friday's semifinal action in New Haven:
Petra Cetkovska def. (2) Na Li, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(9)
While Caroline Wozniacki's winning streak in New Haven has been widely publicized, Petra Cetkovska has quietly started one of her own. She won her seventh straight match at the New Haven Open today, and beat her third consecutive seeded opponent by defeating Na Li in three tight sets. Cetkovska's adventure started in Qualifying, where she swept past three opponents with the loss of just six games. Advancing to the main draw hasn't slowed her down, as she's won four matches to advance to Saturday's Final.
New Haven Wrap-up, Thursday, August 25
Match Reports
Summaries of Thursday's quarterfinal action in New Haven:
The players were scheduled to take the court at 1:00 pm, but were delayed by rain until 3:30 pm, and showers continued to interrupt play throughout the afternoon. While the official match time was just over two and a half hours, the two players did not complete their match until shortly before 8:00 om. It was difficult for either woman to get into a rhythm, and, unfortunately, injury played a role in the final result. Li took the first set, courtesy of three Pavlyuchenkova double faults in the tenth game. After a lengthy weather delay at the start of the second set, Pavlyuchenkova gained the momentum. She won a marathon ninth game with eight deuces, and broke Li to force a third set. With Li serving at 1-0 in the third set, the match was interrupted again. In this instance, it was a medical timeout by Pavlyuchenkova, who sought treatment for a twisted ankle. With the Russian unsure about her movement, Li raced to a 5-0 lead. Li thought she won the match when Pavlyuchenkova framed a shot on match point, but chair umpire Lynn Welch ordered that the point be replayed. A linesperson had started to call Li's ball out, then corrected the call, and Welch believed this was a hindrance to the players. A frustrated Li dropped the next two games before securing the win, and advancing to her sixth semifinal of 2011.
New Haven Wrap-up, Wednesday, August 24
Summaries of some of Wednesday's second round play in New Haven:
Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Elena Vesnina, 6-2, 7-6(5)
This was an interesting match of two players who rely more on placement of shot than power. Medina Garrigues jumped in front of Vesnina quickly, easily taking the opening set 6-2 and leading with a break in the second set, 4-2. But Vesnina, the 2009 New Haven Finalist, rallied behind crowd support and staved off match points in the twelfth game to force a second set tiebreak. Medina Garrigues' condition for the tiebreak was questionable because three points earlier, on a match point, she injured her knee and fell to the court. She took a medical timeout for treatment, and was then able to edge the Russian in the tiebreak. After the match, Medina Garrigues admitted she would have likely retired if the match went to a third set. She is hoping to be able to play in Thursday's Quarterfinal against third seed Francesca Schiavone, whom she defeated in all four previous career meetings.
New Haven Wrap-up, Sunday, August 21
All-Access Hour
Sunday, the WTA All-Access Hour offered the media an opportunity to talk with three of the tournament's top four seeds, Caroline Wozniacki, Marion Bartoli, and Na Li.
Immediately preceding the roundtable was a special announcement. First Niagara Bank, the presenting sponsor of the New Haven Open, would donate $10,000 to breast cancer research if Wozniacki, Bartoli, and Li participated in the Pink Ribbon Run. The Run features a pink treadmill located on tournament grounds, and for each mile walked or run on the treadmill, donations are made to two charities: The Susan G. Komen Connecticut affiliate and the Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven. Wozniacki also announced she will donate $5,000 to the cause on behalf of the WTA.
New Haven Wrap-up, Saturday, August 20
A common misperception of the WTA Tour is that the top players won't play the week before a Grand Slam event. But closer inspection of past draws of the New Haven Open, formerly Pilot Pen Tennis, shows that is not the case. Former titlists of the event, played the week before the US Open, include Grand Slam champions such as Steffi Graf, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Justine Henin, and Svetlana Kuznetsova. When you factor in former finalists such as Jana Novotna, Monica Seles, and Amelie Mauresmo, the honor roll looks like a current and future Tennis Hall of Fame roll call.
This year is no different. Headlining the 2011 action in New Haven are World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, the current French Open champion Na Li, Grand Slam titlists Kuznetsova and Francesca Schiavone, and former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic. Added to the mix are two of the summer's hottest players, Marion Bartoli and Agnieszka Radwanska.
Wozniacki, the top seed here, is no stranger to the Yale campus, where the event is held. She has won the title three consecutive years, and has an undefeated 13-0 record in New Haven. However, Wozniacki's success at smaller tour events has not translated to success at the Grand Slams. Adding to the pressure are her back-to-back losses this summer at tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati to players who are also in the New Haven draw, Roberta Vinci and Christina McHale.