Stephens and Makarova Commit to Upcoming Connecticut Open
World number eight Ekaterina Makarova and American Sloane Stephens have committed to play the Connecticut Open presented by United Technologies, a WTA event that is part of the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series to be held Aug. 21-29 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, as announced by Tournament Director Anne Worcester. The duo joins defending champion and world number two Petra Kvitova and rising American star Madison Keys as players who have committed to play in the event.
Makarova got off to a blazing start in 2015, defeating 2013 Connecticut Open Champion and world number three Simona Halep en route to a semifinals berth at the Australian Open. Her performance marked the second best of her career at a Grand Slam, as the Russian also notched a semifinal performance at the 2014 U.S. Open. This year, Makarova also boasts quarterfinal showings at Dubai and Stuttgart. She will make her sixth appearance in New Haven, with her best result coming in 2013 when she advanced to the quarterfinals.
Stephens will be making her fourth appearance at the Connecticut Open, and she also has a career-best result of quarterfinals in 2013. Stephens most recently enjoyed a successful clay-court season, highlighted by a Round of 16 performance at the French Open and semifinals appearance in Strasbourg. The 22-year-old holds a career-high ranking of 11th in the World, which she reached in 2013 following multiple deep runs at the Grand Slams, including defeating Serena Williams to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open.
“Welcoming back Ekaterina Makarova and Sloane Stephens gives the Connecticut Open two more world-class players to add to Defending Wimbledon Champion and World Number two Petra Kvitova and World Number 16 Madison Keys,” said Worcester. “The tournament field is already a good mix of talent ranging from up-and-coming players to established veterans to a Grand Slam Champion. The field continues to strengthen with every commit and will keep improving over the coming months so that fans are guaranteed a terrific experience in August.”
Beyond a top-notch women’s field, fans will also get to enjoy men’s tennis once again in New Haven, as the tournament will bring together some of the game’s most well-known and talented legends for two entertaining evenings of tennis. For the second consecutive year, Fairfield native James Blake, Andy Roddick and Jim Courier will compete in the Men’s Legends presented by PowerShares Series and will be joined by John McEnroe for the 2015 edition. On Aug. 27, Blake will play Roddick, and on Friday, Aug. 28, McEnroe will battle Courier. Both matches will be the second match of the evening session, following the WTA quarterfinal and semifinal match, respectively.
