New Haven Open 2012: Petra Kvitova Cruises To Win

2012 New Haven Open: Petra Kvitova Defeats Maria Kirilenko In Straight Sets

Petra Kvitova won the New Haven Open on Saturday, defeating Maria Kirilenko to complete a championship run in which she did not lose a single set. After winning a marathon first set 7-6(9), she was down 5-2 in the championship match, but was able to battle back and tie things 5-5 before going on to win 7-5.

It was the second grueling match in Kvitova's tournament. Prior to her match with Kirilenko, the No. 2 seed, she had a difficult second-round match against unseeded American Nicole Gibbs, winning 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. Prior to that, Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champ, ran through fourth seeded Italian Sara Errani 1-6, 3-6, winning the first set in only 24 minutes.

Kvitova, a previous US Open Series winner, now heads to the US Open having won two events in the summer series. The purse for the event is $637,000.

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New Haven Open 2012: Maria Kirilenko, Petra Kvitova Set to Square Off in Final

Maria Kirilenko and Petra Kvitova will face one another in the 2012 New Haven Open final on Saturday.

Kirilenko advanced after No. 3 seed and defending champion Caroline Wozniacki retired prior to the match's second set due to aggravating a right knee injury she suffered in the quarterfinal. Kvitova had a slightly more difficult route but still managed a comfortable win over Italy's Sara Errani, 6-1, 6-3.

Kvitova entered the event as the No. 2 seed and had to survive a difficult second-round match against unseeded American Nicole Gibbs, winning 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.

Kirilenko's road to the final was relatively easier as she won after a walkout by Germany's Mona Barthel and later saw Wozniacki play just one set prior to suffering the injury.

Wozniacki, a favorite to successfully defend her title, appeared hampered by the injury throughout the match and could not continue after dropping the first set of the semifinal, 7-5.

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New Haven Open 2012: Wozniacki Retires Semifinals Due To Injury

Caroline Wozniacki's reign at the New Haven Open has come to a close as the four-time defending champ exited her match with a knee injury.

The third-seeded Wozniacki lost her first set 7-5 against No. 7 Maria Kirlenko in the semi-finals on Friday. During the changeover, she requested to see her trainer and after a short deliberation decided not to continue.

Wozniacki injured her knee in the first game of her second set in her win over Dominka Cibulkova on Thursday. She was wearing a brace on Friday's match. Wozniacki claimed she could feel it from the start of the match.

"But, you know, it just started to get a bit worse. I decided to stop because, yeah, I mean, first of all, you know, if you don't feel 100 percent, you can't compete at 100 percent. It's better to let it rest. I wasn't going to win this match anyways if I'm not on 100-percent fit level."

Kirlenko will go on to face second seeded Petra Kvitova. The 2011 Wimbledon champ Kvitova defeated fourth seeded Italian Sara Errani 1-6, 3-6. Kvitova overpowered Errani in early on, only needing 24 minutes to win the first set.

The top ranked doubles team Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond defeated the No. 3 team of Katarina Srebotnik and Jie Zheng 7-5, 6-3 to reach the doubles final. They will go up against the second seeded team of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka as they quest for their fifth title of 2012.

The doubles match begins on Saturday at 12:30 p.m ET.

Kvitova and Kirlenko will face each other following at 3:00 p.m. ET.

A complete live scoreboard can be found at Sports Illustrated.

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2012 New Haven Open 2012: Two Semifinal Matches Set For Friday

The semifinals of the 2012 New Haven Open begin Friday and three of the top four seeds remain in action.

No. 2 seed Petra Kvitova, the highest seed remaining, will face No. 4 seed Sara Errani on Friday. Kvitova advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-3 over No. 8 Lucie Safarova while Errani knocked off No. 5 seed Marion Bartoli 6-4, 6-2.

In the other semifinal, No. 3 seed Caroline Wozniacki will face No. 7 seed Maria Kirilenko. Wozniacki advanced past No. 6 seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-1 while Kirilenko knocked off Olga Govortsova 6-1, 6-2.

Stadium Court, starting at 1 p.m. ET

No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki vs. No. 7 Maria Kirilenko

Not before 7 p.m. ET

No. 2 Petra Kvitova vs. No. 4 Sara Errani

A complete live scorboard can be found at Sports Illustrated.

For more on the New Haven Open, please be sure to check out our tennis hub and SBNation.com, along with SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.

New Haven Open 2012: Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki Advance To Semifinals

The 2012 New Haven Open continued Thursday with quarterfinal action. As has mostly been the case throughout the tournament, the top seeds once again advanced.

No. 2 seed Petra Kvitova, the highest remaining seed, advanced to the semifinals in a straight set win over No. 8 Lucie Safarova. Kvitova advanced with a 6-3, 6-3 win and will now face No. 4 seed Sara Errani. Errani advanced past No. 5 seed Marion Bartoli with a 6-4, 6-2 win.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki also advanced. She knocked off No. 6 Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-1. She will face No. 7 seed Maria Kirilenko in the semifinals after Kirilenko knocked off Olga Govortsova 6-1, 6-2.

A complete live scorboard can be found at Sports Illustrated.

For more on the New Haven Open, please be sure to check out our tennis hub andSBNation.com, along with SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.

2012 New Haven Open: Quarterfinal Play Begins Thursday

The 2012 New Haven Open continues Thursday with the start of quarterfinal play. Only eight players remain, with seven of the top eight seeds still in action.

No. 2 seed Petra Kvitova, the highest remaining seed, will play No. 8 Lucie Safarova in the quarterfinal. Kvitova won her second-round match in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. Safarova also cruised into the quarterfinal with a 6-4, 6-0 win.

No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki will face No. 6 Dominika Cibulkova on Thursday. Both players advanced with straight-set wins in the second round, althougth Wozniacki was pushed to a tiebreaker in her first set. No. 4 Sara Errani will face No. 5 Marion Bartoli in the quarterfinal.

The lone remaining unseeded player, Olga Govortsova, will face No. 7 seed Maria Kirilenko. Govortsova advanced past top seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round after Radwanska was forced to retire due to a shoulder injury. Govortsova won the first set 6-0 and was leading the second set 2-1 when Radwanska withdrew.

Here is the complete schedule for Thursday:

Stadium Court, starting at 1 p.m. ET

No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki vs. No. 6 Dominika Cibulkova

No. 7 Maria Kirilenko vs. Olga Govortsova

Not before 7 p.m. ET

No. 2 Petra Kvitova vs. No. 8 Lucie Safarova

No. 4 Sara Errani vs. No. 5 Marion Bartoli

A complete live scorboard can be found at Sports Illustrated.

For more on the New Haven Open, please be sure to check out our tennis hub and SBNation.com, along with SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.

New Haven Open 2012: Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova Advance

The 2012 WTA New Haven Open's second round saw the top two remaining seeds, Caroline Wozniacki (No.3) of Denmark and Petra Kvitova (No. 2) of Russia advance to the Quarterfinals on Thursday.

Wozniacki defeated Sofia Arvidsson, 7-6, 6-2, and will face sixth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova in Thursday's Quarterfinals. Kvitova made quick work of American Nicole Gibbs and won, 6-2, 6-4 in straight sets and will face Lucie Safarova.

Up-and-comer, 25-year-old Russian Maria Kirilenko advanced on a walkout against Germany's Mona Barthel and will face Olga Govortsova of Belarus, who on Tuesday upset No. 1 seed Agnieszka Radwanska after Radwanska withdrew with a shoulder injury.

Govortsova, who had to qualify to gain entry into the tournament, is the only unseeded player left in the event.

Matches for the event will take place through Saturday, August 25, when the Finals will be held at 12:30 p.m.

Thursday's matches will begin at 1:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN 2 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

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2012 New Haven Open: Wozniacki In Action Wednesday During Round Of 16 Play

Defending New Haven Open champion Caroline Wozniacki hits the court Wednesday for a tough test in the round of 16, as she faces unranked Sofia Arvidsson this afternoon.

Wozniacki had little trouble disposing of unranked Ekaterina Makarova in opening round action, 6-3, 6-3, but Arvidsson has proven a bit of a thorn in Wozniacki's side. Wozniacki holds a 3-2 career advantage over the Swed, with the two splitting their two meetings on hard courts.

Sixth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova is also in action, and will take on Germany's Andrea Petkovic. The meeting will be the first time the two have ever met, with the unranked Petkovic claiming the No. 43 WTA ranking overall.

Cibulkova dispatched with Anabel Medina Garrigues in the first round, 7-5, 6-3 and looks to make some noise at New Haven before the U.S. Open.

Wozniacki and Cibulkova would meet in the next round, the quarterfinals, if both are victorious.

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New Haven Open 2012: Top Seeded Agnieszka Radwanska Withdraws Due To Injury

The 2012 New Haven Open continued Tuesday and No. 1 seed Agnieszka Radwanska was forced to retire during her matching due to injury.

Radwanska, the current No. 2 player in the world, withdrew from her match against Olga Govortsova during the second set due to a shoulder injury. Govortsova won the first set 6-0 and was leading the second set 2-1 when Radwanska withdrew.

No. 4 seed Sara Errani advanced in straight sets, defeating Carla Suarez Navarro 6-4, 6-3. No. 5 seed Marion Bartoli was also able to advance, but needed three sets to get past Sloane Stephens. Bartoli won the first set 6-1 but dropped the second set 6-0 before winning the third 6-3 to advance.

In other action, Jie Zheng advanced with a 7-5, 6-2 win against Tsvetana Pironka.

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2012 New Haven Open: WTA No. 2 Ranked Agnieszka Radwanska First Match Today

If Caroline Wozniaki wants to defend her New Haven title, she's likely going to have to get through the tournament's top seed and second-ranked WTA player in the world, Agnieszka Radwanska. After a first-round bye, Radwanska takes to the court tonight against Olga Govortsova starting at 7:00 p.m. ET in the Stadium Court.

Prior to Radwanska's debut at New Haven, there are three matches during the day on Tuesday. Beginning at 12:00 p.m. on the Stadium court is Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain facing fourth-ranked Sara Errani of Italy. Suarez Navarro is coming off a straight-set victory over Agnes Szavay of Hungary. Errani dispatched American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5.

Seeing their first action of the tournament at noon on the Grandstand court are Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria and Jie Zheng of China. Pironkova represented Bulgaria in the 2012 Olympics and eliminated in the second round by Flavia Pennetta of Italy. This is Zheng's first tournament since withdrawing from the Montreal Cup in early August with a back injury.

Following the conclusion of the Suarez Navarro/Errani match, Marion Bartoli of France plays Sloan Stephens. Bartoli is the fifth-ranked player of the tournament. Stephens is an up-and-coming 19 year-old from Florida. She went as far as the fourth round at the French Open and the third round at Wimbledon earlier this year.

The day is closed out by the seventh-ranked Maria Kirilenko of Russia versus Mona Barthel of Germany. Kirilenko represented Russia at the London Olympics, losing in the bronze medal match to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. Barthel's last play came in the Montreal Cup where she was bounced in the second round by Agnieszka Radwanska.

New Haven Open 2012: Caroline Wozniacki And Others Advance

The first round is over at the 2012 New Haven Open at Yale, with no huge surprises playing out yet.

Caroline Wozniacki has been dominant at New Haven, winning all five tournaments she has played there. On Monday against Russian Ekaterina Marakova, Wozniacki took care of business in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.

No. 6 Dominika Cibulkova breezed through her match as well, dispatching Anabel Medina Garrigues 7-5 and 6-3.

It was a tough day for Melanie Oudin, who lost in two sets to Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson 6-4 and 6-1. Oudin made waves as somewhat of a Cinderella story in 2009 at the U.S. Open, where she defeated Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva.

The only Americans left in the draw are Nicole Gibbs and Sloane Stephens. Stephens has a tough draw in the second round, pitted against No. 5 Marion Bartoli.

For a comprehensive look at the tournament, please visit the official website.

For more on the New Haven Open, please be sure to check out our Tennis Hub and SBNation.com along with SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.

2012 New Haven Open: Caroline Wozniacki Begins Title Defense

The first round of the 2012 New Haven Open at Yale continues Monday with nine matches. The action in Connecticut will begin at 12 p.m. EST with three contests, as Bethanie Mattek-Sands takes on Sara Errani, the tournament's No. 4-ranked player, Melanie Oudin faces Sofia Arvidsson, and Nicole Gibbs battles Alexa Glatch in an all-American matchup.

Errani, the 10th-ranked woman in the world in the latest WTA Tour rankings, will be looking to rebound after a disappointing third-round defeat at the hands of Venus Williams earlier this month at the WTA Tour Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open.

Two more contests will follow at 2 p.m., highlighted by Shahar Peer facing off against Maria Kirilenko, who enters the tournament as the 14th-ranked player in the world. Of the remaining four matches, the feature contest comes at 7 p.m., when four-time defending champion Caroline Wozniacki takes the court to begin the quest for her fifth-straight New Haven Open title against Ekaterina Makarova.

The complete schedule can be seen on the tournament's official site.

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New Haven Open 2012 Daily Recap: Bartoli, Safarova Cruise to Victory

Fifth-ranked Maria Bartoli's straight-set victory and eighth-seeded Lucie Safarova's victory because of a retirement highlighted the first day of action at the New Haven Open on Sunday.

Bartoli cruised past unranked Great Britain's Laura Robson, 6-3, 6-3 in 85 minutes, asserting herself against the Brit in dominating fashion. Safarova was well on her way to victory over Varvara Lepchenko when Lepchenko was forced to retire at 6-3, 4-1.

Bartoli and Safarova were the only ranked players to see action during the tournament's opening day. Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro, although unranked, was able to top unranked Hungarian Agnes Szavay in straight sets, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, to advance.

Caroline Wozniacki, the tournament's defending champion, will see her first action in New Haven, Connecticut tomorrow, as she takes on Ekaterina Makarova. Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska received a bye in the first round.

Visit the SB Nation's tennis hub for more on the 2012 New Haven Open and news and analysis from the tennis community.

2012 New Haven Open Tennis Daily Match Preview: Sloane Stephens Headlines Round One

Sunday's opening round of the 2012 New Haven Open will see ten singles matches and two doubles matches. Of the day's singles matches, the biggest name competing will be 19-year-old rising tennis star, Sloane Stephens.

Stephens is coming off an epic match against Agnieska Radwanska in the third round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio last week, losing the match 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

The Plantation, Fla. native has played in a number of high profile events already this year, including the Australian Open where she lost in the second round, the French Open where she was eliminated in round four and Wimbledon where she was eliminated in the third round.

Stephens will match up against 21-year-old Tamira Paszek of Austria on Sunday.

Other American tennis players scheduled for matches are Nikita Kryvonos, Sachia Vickery, Alexa Glatch, Vavara Lepchenko, Nicole Gibbs, Eric Hechtman, Nicholas Meister, Natalie Plskota, Alexandra Mueller and Mary Weatherholt.

Visit the SB Nation's tennis hub for more on the 2012 New Haven Open and news and analysis from the tennis community.

New Haven Open 2012: First Round Action Begins Sunday

The 2012 New Haven Open begins Sunday with first round action from the Connecticut Tennis Center.