Connecticut Open tennis tournament leaving New Haven

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After nearly three decades as a staple in the city, professional tennis is leaving New Haven.

The Connecticut Open women’s tennis event is being sold to a company that will immediately move it to China and the Connecticut Tennis Center will likely not host a professional tournament in 2019. The Connecticut Open has been actively seeking a title sponsor for months, but the tournament was unable to secure the financial security needed to continue.

So the Tennis Foundation of Connecticut — the organization that operates the state-owned, not-for-profit tournament — is selling the WTA’s Premier Sanction. Tournament director Anne Worcester, working with a consultant, was in contact with 88 prospective title sponsors over a four-month span. In October, the tournament cut staff as it attempted to limit expenses while searching for a title sponsor.

The tournament is being purchased by APG, a sports marketing and management company. It will move to the city of Zhengzhou and will operate Sept. 9-15, the week after the U.S. Open.

“It has been an amazing 21-year run for women’s professional tennis in New Haven and we are truly grateful to all the fans, volunteers, players, media and sponsors involved,” Worcester said. “While we remember our great champions, we are most proud of the benefits the tournament has brought to the local community.”

The Tennis Foundation will continue to pursue a title sponsor for a future professional tennis event, likely at a lower level than WTA Premier. The 2019 professional tennis schedule is nearly set, so a 2020 slot may be more feasible.

One option being considered is to continue an Invesco Series men’s legends event, which has been staged at the tournament the past few years. The legend’s event has drawn such notable names as John McEnroe, James Blake, Jim Courier and Andy Roddick to New Haven. A model for New Haven could include a legend’s event paired with a lower-level professional tournament. Last week, Newport Beach, Calif. hosted an Oracle Challenger Series men’s and women’s tournament with an Invesco Series event featuring Blake and Roddick.

Sara Errani of Italy (L) and Petra Kvitova (R) of Cezch Republic pose at the net with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and New Haven Open at Yale Tournament Director Anne Worcester after the coin toss during the semifinals at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale on August 24, 2012. less Sara Errani of Italy (L) and Petra Kvitova (R) of Cezch Republic pose at the net with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and New Haven Open at Yale Tournament Director Anne Worcester after the coin toss during the ... more Photo: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images Photo: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images Image 1 of / 485 Caption Close Connecticut Open tennis tournament leaving New Haven 1 / 485 Back to Gallery

According to sources, tournament officials met with Mayor Toni Harp and Yale officials in early December and informed them of the decision to sell the tournament. The Tennis Center sits on the campus of Yale and school — and city — officials indicated a commitment to hosting a tournament at the venue.

“The Connecticut Open has had an undeniably positive impact on New Haven over the past 21 years, in terms of economic impact, its commitment to fulfilling its non-profit mission by giving back to local causes, and in putting the City of New Haven, its restaurants, culture, and Yale University on center court in front of a global audience,” Harp said in a statement. “We remain hopeful that professional tennis will return to New Haven in the very near future.”

Said Yale President Peter Salovey: “Yale is fortunate that New Haven has such a rich cultural life, thanks in part to the Connecticut Open. It has been an integral part of the city’s summer experience for the past 21 years and has been particularly popular in the Yale community. I commend Anne Worcester for building and sustaining this remarkable event. I also wish to thank the many volunteers who helped make each year a success.”

Worcester has said she spent 18 months seeking a title sponsor, insisting the tournament’s financial model was not sustainable without one as she first pursued a sponsor for 2018. The tournament was anchored by Pilot Pen as a title sponsor from 1998 to 2010, the year the men’s tournament was sold and moved to Winston-Salem, N.C.

Without the annual title sponsor revenue — about $1.5 million — the tournament was known as the New Haven Open at Yale as Worcester searched for corporate assistance 2011 to 2013.

In 2013, the tournament was on the cusp of being sold and moved to Winston-Salem before the state purchased the sanction for $618,000, the latest in a series of near departures averted by Worcester during her tenure as tourament director.

Under the umbrella of the state, the tournament was rebranded as the Connecticut Open and operated as a nonprofit.

But after five years, revenue challenges rose. The state’s contribution dropped to $218,000 in 2018 and the tournament was expected to be self-sustaining in 2020.

With WTA prize money increasing, the tournament was sputtering. Prize money at the Connecticut Open was $799,000 this year, but WTA tournament prize money is expected to reach a minimum of $1 million in 2020. The tournament in Zhengzhou, which will be played at a new 8,000-seat stadium, will offer $1 million in prize money this year and $1.5 million in 2020

“Without an ample title sponsor, the financial model was not going to work,” Worcester said.

The loss of the tournament ends a memorable run in New Haven. The Volvo International men’s event arrived from Vermont in 1990, first staged at a temporary stadium at Yale as the Connecticut Tennis Center was constructed.

The 15,000-seat stadium was unveiled in 1991. The Volvo hosted such players as McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Stefan Edberg, Michael Chang, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, and Martina Navratilova in an exhibition.

In 1998, a WTA event was added and Pilot Pen became the title sponsor. In 1999, it became a women’s-only event and the the early years were defined by star power — Steffi Graf, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Maria Sharapova, and Navratilova. Graf won in 1998, before Williams claimed four consecutive titles.

The men’s tour returned in 2005, with Fairfield’s Blake emerging as the face of the tournament. Blake won the tournament twice during the six year-year run and his presence was an attendance boost, with local friends and fans designating a “J-Block” section of the stands.

In later years, the tournament proved a launching pad for rising stars. Caroline Wozniacki won as an anonymous 18-year-old in 2008, the first of four consecutive titles as she emerged as the No. 1 player in the world.

Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova won three titles in four years and future No. 1-ranked Simona Halep won in 2013.

But revenue was evaporating and the tournament was unable to lure the likes of Serena and Venus Williams because of its spot of on the calendar, one week before the U.S Open. Worcester brought the men’s legends event to the tournament in recent years, as Blake and McEnroe returned to boost interest. Worcester, the former WTA head and the tournament director since 1998, sought to appeal to a broader audience by adding food trucks, a craft beer event and live entertainment.

Attendance — exceeding 100,000 for the men’s and women’s tournaments in 2005 — was in the 50,000 range in recent years. It was still among the most attended women’s-only events on the WTA circuit this year, but ticket sales provided just $750,000 of the revenue while $2.5 million came from 75 sponsors. Hearst Connecticut Media was a Cornerstone Sponsor for the 2018 tournament.

But a title sponsor, which would defray much of the operating costs, was missing.

“We pulled so many rabbits out of hats ... we saved the tournament four times,” Worcester said. “There were no more rabbits.”

The tennis stadium will likely sit vacant in 2019, unless the Tennis Foundation can secure an event. There are USTA professional circuit events with prize money in the $150,000 range, and New Haven — with the infrastructure in place, including volunteers, sponsors, and non-tennis events — could stage a tournament this year.

Yale athletics will continue to use the Tennis Center facility and the school could use the office space while the Tennis Foundation will seek other tenants to help offset the operating costs.

Revenue from the sale of the sanction will be used to reimburse the state $618,000 along with payments to the USTA and the WTA.

According to tournament officials, the event generated more than $10 million annually in economic impact for the region. The tournament has also run tennis education programs in New Haven since 2004 and clinics in Hartford over the past few years.

The tournament also donated more than $150,000 to the Breast Cancer Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven since 2011, including more than $20,000 last year. The event’s philanthropic arm has also raised money for food banks and Yale community-based initiatives.

“Our non-profit foundation is grateful to have had the opportunity to positively impact Connecticut,” Tennis Foundation chairman Chris Shackelton said. “As we look to the future, we will remain actively involved in New Haven, leveraging our resources and strong partnerships with Yale University and Yale New Haven Health, to invest in valuable programs and events for the benefit of our State and local community.”

paul.doyle@hearstmediact.com; @pauldoyle1