'Who's Who' among the tournament's top-ranked players

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Eleven of the world’s top-25-ranked women’s tennis player will compete at this year’s New Haven Open at Yale (NHO) presented by First Niagara.

The field of competitors has grown both smaller and larger in recent days. Reigning Wimbledon champion and World No. 7 Marion Bartoli was previously set to play at this year’s New Haven Open, but retired from the game of tennis following her second-round loss in Cincinnati — wildcards have been awarded to five players, announced the tourament’s director, Anne Worcester. A WTA event that is part of the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series, the competition will take place Aug. 16-24 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale on Derby Ave.

Former World No. 5 Daniela Hantuchova has been awarded a singles and a doubles wildcard into the NHO. Hantuchova, from Slovakia, owns six career WTA singles titles including winning earlier this year in Birmingham, England. In addition to competing in singles, the WTA veteran will play doubles with Martina Hingis, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame earlier this summer.

Sloane Stephens and Julia Goerges have also been awarded wildwards. Stephens, a 20-year-old from Florida, reached a career-high ranking of No. 15 in the world earlier this year after reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open, defeating current World No. 1 Serena Williams en route; the round of 16 at the French Open; and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. This will be Stephens’ third straight appearance at the New Haven Open, where she reached the round of 16 last year. Goerges, a native of Germany, has two career WTA singles titles — Stuttgart (2011) and Bad Gastein (2010). A member of her country’s Olympic team in London, the 24-year-old reached a career-high ranking of World No. 15 in March of 2012 and finished the year in the WTA top 20 for the first time in her career. This will be Goerges’ second appearance at the New Haven Open, where she fell in the final round of qualifying in 2008.

In addition, wildcards into the qualifying draw were awarded to American Lena Litvak, by virtue of winning the 2013 Ocean State Open at Bryant University, and 16-year-old Katerina Stewart, who just won the 16-and-under division of the USTA National Championships this past week in San Diego.

Discount for Yale affiliates

University affiliates receive 25% off of tickets for all NHO sessions from Sunday to Saturday, Aug. 18-24. The tickets can be purchased online or by phone. To receive the exclusive discount online, visit the tournament’s ticket website and enter promotion code NHO13YALE. To purchase tickets by phone, call 855-464-8366 and reference “Yale University.”

This year, all seating will be in the box ring of the tennis center. For more information, visit the tournament’s website at newhavenopen.com.

Above is a look at the top-ranked competitors at this year’s tournament.