The WTA Tour is looking to add two U.S. events to its schedule after the long-standing tournament in New Haven, Conn., was sold to Asian sports company APG and will relocate to Zhengzhou City, China. The Connecticut Open has been held in New Haven since '98 and taken place the week before the U.S. Open. It now will be held the week after the U.S. Open. The prospective new WTA tourneys will look to fill the now vacant week prior to the year's final Grand Slam event, with the first beginning as early as this year. The Zhengzhou event will be co-owned by APG and the China Open, and boast $1M in prize money ($1.5M next year) and an 8,000-seat stadium that is under construction. New Haven last year awarded $799,000. The WTA will now have 11 events in China versus seven in the U.S. (Daniel Kaplan, THE DAILY).
SPONSOR ISSUES SPELLED DOOM: In New Haven, Paul Doyle reports 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." Tournament Dir Anne Worcester worked with a consultant and contacted 88 "prospective title sponsors over a four-month span," and the event in October "cut staff as it attempted to limit expenses while searching" for a sponsor. The Tennis Foundation of Connecticut, which operated the tournament, will "continue to pursue a title sponsor for a future professional tennis event, likely at a lower level than WTA Premier." Sources said that tournament officials met with New Haven Mayor Toni Harp and Yale officials in December and "informed them of the decision to sell the tournament." 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" (NHREGISTER.com, 2/1).
