Tag: Yale

The Connecticut Open is heading to China

By Owen Meech

After 21 years of hosting the Connecticut Open, New Haven is forced to say goodbye to professional tennis.


Former WTA world number one Simona Halep at the Connecticut Open in 2014.

Former WTA world number one Simona Halep at the Connecticut Open in 2014.

The WTA Premier tournament, which took place annually at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, is now moving across the globe to its new home in China.

Since the conclusion of the final tournament in 2018, the Tennis Foundation of Connecticut (TFC) board conducted an analysis of the financial model of the Connecticut Open and deemed it is no longer viable without a title sponsor.

The TFC Board decided after an extensive sponsor search to sell the Premier WTA sanction to APG, a leading Sports and Entertainment company prominent in Asia. The tournament will now take place in September in Zhengzhou City.

The Connecticut Open was the third best attended women’s-only WTA tournament in 2018 and has generated more than $10 million annually in economic impact for the City of New Haven and State of Connecticut.

Taking place every August, the tournament has long served a warmup for the US Open, attracting top female players from around the world, such as former champions Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova.

“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,” Tournament Director Anne Worcester in a statement. “While we remember our great champions, we are most proud of the benefits the tournament has brought to the local community.”

Worcester never could find the help she needed to continue funding the tournament, approaching 88 companies about becoming the title sponsor before 2012.

Under Gov. Dannel Malloy, the state eventually purchased the event for $618,000 and turned it into a 501(C)(3) nonprofit, guaranteeing it would remain in Connecticut.

The goal was for the event to become self-sufficient, but instead time and money expired.

Ian Leichter, a senior at Quinnipiac University, is one of many feeling nostalgic about the end of an era, as the Connecticut Open provided him with his first internship experience.

“I met some great people and learned a lot about the real world,” Leichter said.

Despite the event’s conclusion, New Haven Mayor Toni Harp added a glimmer of hope for tennis fans across the state.

“The Connecticut Open has had an undeniably positive impact on New Haven over the past 21 years,” Harp said. “We remain hopeful that professional tennis will return to New Haven in the very near future.”

We preview the ECAC men’s hockey tournament series vs. Yale


Quinnipiac vs. Yale on Feb. 9 in New Haven, (Photo by Steve Musco/Yale Athletics)

Quinnipiac vs. Yale on Feb. 9 in New Haven, (Photo by Steve Musco/Yale Athletics)

By Cliff Nadel

The ninth-seeded Quinnipiac University men’s hockey team will make the short trip down Whitney Avenue to New Haven to face its rival, No. 8 seed Yale, at 7 p.m., Friday night at Ingalls Rink.

It is the first game of a best-of-three series in the first round of the East Coast Athletic Conference men’s hockey championship tournament. 

Quinnipiac (14-16-4) faces the Bulldogs (15-13-1) for the third time this season. The Bobcats defeated the Bulldogs, 3-0, in their first meeting this season in November. Yale earned a 3-2 victory over the Bobcats in the second contest between the two on Feb. 9.

The last time Quinnipiac and Yale faced off in the postseason was in the 2013 NCAA national championship game in Pittsburgh, where the Bulldogs won, 4-0. 

The Bobcats hold a 17-7-5 advantage all-time over Yale, and are 16-2 in ECAC first-round games having never lost an opening series.

You can watch game one here, or listen to the game here.

 

Quinnipiac versus Yale game scheduled for Thanksgiving recess

By Katherine Koretski

An uproar has taken place at Quinnipiac University, and it’s coming from all of the Bobcat hockey fans. The university’s longtime hockey rival, Yale University is set to play in Hamden on Saturday, Nov. 18. This is during the mandatory Thanksgiving vacation for Quinnipiac students.


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Students should not be discouraged until they know the outcome of the online ticket portal, which is known to be a high-intensity moment for most student fans. The Quinnipiac Bobcats’ ticket office releases a hyperlink to students that leads them to an online queue. From there, the student is prompted to generate a ticket for the game. Due to the popularity of the event, tickets go quickly. This also becomes an issue for some students due to the high traffic on the website, while using the same WiFi network.

This year, students will be sent a link in the evening of Nov. 5. According to Quinnipiac’s Assistant Director of Residential Life Mike Guthrie, students with a valid ticket will be able to file a late-stay request. They will be able to submit a plea to stay for the game taking place during the start of the break period. Requests must be made on the My Housing portal through the Quinnipiac student website, no later than Friday, Nov. 10. The late-stay request sign-up form will be released on Monday, Nov. 6.

A Quinnipiac issued ticket must be presented to one of the 20 volunteer resident assistants that are completing the room checks on Friday evening. The number on the ticket must match the student’s name that has requested to stay. Student’s will not be able to sell their tickets to others. That tactic has been popular amongst fans on campus in the past.

In a poll posted on HQ Press’s Twitter page, presented some potential results of involvement.

 

Some students might also be sticking around campus for the game set to take place on Friday night. The Quinnipiac Bobcats will be playing Brown University in Hamden. A late-stay request is also available to students with a valid Quinnipiac generated ticket. Students granted permission for just this game must be out of the dorms no later than noon on Friday.

Another event that could potentially impact attendance is happening right down the street. One of the biggest rivalries in Ivy League history will be held at the Yale Bowl in New Haven. The Harvard vs. Yale football game is set to take place on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

According to Guthire, the Eastern College Athletic Conference, ECAC, had made the hockey schedule far in advance. No changes would be made due to the university’s recess.