Three-time New Haven champ Petra Kvitová will go for No. 4 in August,

it was announced this week by Connecticut Open tournament director

Anne Worcester.

By Kristine M. Phillips





NEW HAVEN— T hree-time champion Petra Kvitová will return to the Connecticut Open this summer, hoping to build on an incredible year that has included four titles and a WTA-leading 30 match wins, it was announced by Tournament Director Anne Worcester. Kvitová earned her third title at the WTA Premier Mandatory Mutua Madrid Open, scoring her seventh Top 10 victory this year in her semifinal win over Karolina Pliskova, ensuring her rise to No.8 in the WTA world rankings.





“The Connecticut Open is one of my favorite events in the summer, so it feels great to have it confirmed on my calendar,” said Kvitová. “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.”





Kvitová has jumped to No.3 on the Porsche Race to Singapore Leaderboard. The Czech star is currently riding an 11-match winning streak, including title runs in Prague and Madrid. Kvitová, who holds a 19-4 match record in New Haven has 24 WTA titles to her name. She is the first player to be confirmed for the WTA event, which will be held August 17-25 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale .





“Petra has become part of the make-up of our tournament every summer,” said Worcester. “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.”





This will be Kvitová’s eighth visit to New Haven, where she won in 2012, 2014, and 2015. This year, she hopes to join Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki as the tournament’s only four-time champions. F or 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 203-776-7331. Daily tickets for the tournament will be on sale starting the week of June 11 .







In December 2016, Kvitová suffered a knife attack by an intruder in her Prostejov, Czech Republic apartment in a robbery, suffering tendon and nerve injuries to her left hand. But the gritty Czech returned to action five months later at the French Open, where she lost in the second round. That year, on the comeback trail, she lost to Zhang Shuai in the first round at the Connecticut Open, but bounced right back at the U.S. Open, making it to the fourth round in New York.





In 2018, Kvitová started off slow, losing in the first round at the Australian Open. But she regained her form over the course of the year, winning in St. Petersburg and Qatar, where she beat then No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki. By the end of the year, Kvitová was back in the Top 10.





Comeback complete.





The Connecticut Open is a WTA tournament held at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale featuring a 30-player singles main draw, a 48-player qualifying draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $799,000. The 2017 title was won by Australia’s Daria Gavrilova, who collected her maiden WTA trophy as the tournament celebrated 20 years of women’s tennis in New Haven. Past champions include Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki (four titles each), Kvitová (3), Lindsay Davenport (2), Steffi Graf, Jennifer Capriati, and Justine Henin.





The tournament generates in excess of $10 million in regional economic impact, and is prominently featured domestically through 50+ hours on ESPN2 and ESPN3 (WatchESPN), and is also broadcast internationally by WTA Media in 158 countries. In 2017, the global audience reached nearly 12 million viewers. For more details and tickets, visit www.ctopen.org or call 1-855-464-8366.

—with staff reports