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**DzjwMKo5** · 08-19-2011, 03:58 AM

FRENCH OPEN CHAMPION AND WORLD NO. 5 LI NA AND WORLD NO. 9 MARION BARTOLI
RECEIVE WILD CARDS INTO NEW HAVEN OPEN AT YALE PRESENTED BY FIRST NIAGARA

Field Now Features Four Of The Top 10 And Seven Of The Top 15 Players
In The World;
Qualifying Draw Wild Cards Given To Allie Will And Asia Muhammed
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Aug. 18, 2011 – 2011 French Open champion and World No. 5 Li Na and World No. 9 Marion Bartoli are the recipients of the final two wild cards into the New Haven Open at Yale presented by First Niagara, a WTA event that is part of the Olympus US Open Series
to be held August 18-27 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, itwas announced today by Anne Worcester, tournament director.

Li and Bartoli join World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and World No. 8 Francesca Schiavone as top 10 ranked players in the field. With those four, and Agnieszka Radwanska, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Jelena Jankovic, the field has seven of the top 15 players in world in the main draw. Jankovic and rising American Christina McHale previously
received the other two wild cards.

Li has turned into a Chinese megastar, and is on track to becoming the highest-paid female athlete in the world, after becoming the first Asian woman to win a major championship. In June she captured the French Open title, part of an incredible season that has seen her reach the finals of the Australian Open, win a title in Sydney and
climb to a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world. She has five career titles, and this will be her second trip to New Haven, with the first coming in 2006 when she was ranked No. 25 in the world and reached the second round.

Bartoli, of France, recently won her sixth career title at Eastbourne before defeating Serena Williams en route to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, where she was a finalist in 2007. In March she reached the first WTA Premier event final of her career in Indian Wells before losing a tight three-set match to top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki. This
will be Marion’s eighth appearance at the New Haven Open where she is a four-time quarterfinalist.

“Adding Li Na, a top five ranked player and the defending French Open champion, and Marion Bartoli, a perennial top tenner who is playing in the New Haven Open for the eighth time, is incredibly exciting,” said Worcester. “The player field was already strong and these two talented stars give us even more depth and guarantee that our fans will see
amazing tennis all week.”

In addition, two qualifying draw wild cards were given to Allie Will and Asia Muhammed. Will is a rising junior at the University of Florida and posted a 24-2 dual meet record at No. 1 and 2 singles leading the Gators to the NCAA Championship this season. She finished in the top 10 of the NCAA rankings. Muhammed, a 20-year old from Las
Vegas, won an ITF event in Houston in 2007 and competes primarily on the Challenger and Futures circuits. Yesterday a qualifying wild card was awarded to Robin Anderson, who won the Yale Summer Championships.
The fourth and final qualifying wild card will be announced shortly.

08-19-2011, 03:58 AM	#5
DzjwMKo5 Join Date Nov 2005 Posts 547 Senior Member	FRENCH OPEN CHAMPION AND WORLD NO. 5 LI NA AND WORLD NO. 9 MARION BARTOLI RECEIVE WILD CARDS INTO NEW HAVEN OPEN AT YALE PRESENTED BY FIRST NIAGARA Field Now Features Four Of The Top 10 And Seven Of The Top 15 Players In The World; Qualifying Draw Wild Cards Given To Allie Will And Asia Muhammed NEW HAVEN, Conn., Aug. 18, 2011 – 2011 French Open champion and World No. 5 Li Na and World No. 9 Marion Bartoli are the recipients of the final two wild cards into the New Haven Open at Yale presented by First Niagara, a WTA event that is part of the Olympus US Open Series to be held August 18-27 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, itwas announced today by Anne Worcester, tournament director. Li and Bartoli join World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and World No. 8 Francesca Schiavone as top 10 ranked players in the field. With those four, and Agnieszka Radwanska, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Jelena Jankovic, the field has seven of the top 15 players in world in the main draw. Jankovic and rising American Christina McHale previously received the other two wild cards. Li has turned into a Chinese megastar, and is on track to becoming the highest-paid female athlete in the world, after becoming the first Asian woman to win a major championship. In June she captured the French Open title, part of an incredible season that has seen her reach the finals of the Australian Open, win a title in Sydney and climb to a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world. She has five career titles, and this will be her second trip to New Haven, with the first coming in 2006 when she was ranked No. 25 in the world and reached the second round. Bartoli, of France, recently won her sixth career title at Eastbourne before defeating Serena Williams en route to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, where she was a finalist in 2007. In March she reached the first WTA Premier event final of her career in Indian Wells before losing a tight three-set match to top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki. This will be Marion’s eighth appearance at the New Haven Open where she is a four-time quarterfinalist. “Adding Li Na, a top five ranked player and the defending French Open champion, and Marion Bartoli, a perennial top tenner who is playing in the New Haven Open for the eighth time, is incredibly exciting,” said Worcester. “The player field was already strong and these two talented stars give us even more depth and guarantee that our fans will see amazing tennis all week.” In addition, two qualifying draw wild cards were given to Allie Will and Asia Muhammed. Will is a rising junior at the University of Florida and posted a 24-2 dual meet record at No. 1 and 2 singles leading the Gators to the NCAA Championship this season. She finished in the top 10 of the NCAA rankings. Muhammed, a 20-year old from Las Vegas, won an ITF event in Houston in 2007 and competes primarily on the Challenger and Futures circuits. Yesterday a qualifying wild card was awarded to Robin Anderson, who won the Yale Summer Championships. The fourth and final qualifying wild card will be announced shortly.
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