At the Connecticut Open: See no. 1 tennis star Simona Halep at a discount

World no. 1 and reigning French Open champion Simona Halep will lead an international lineup of players at the 2018 Connecticut Open (Aug. 17-25), tournament officials have announced.

Halep, who received a wild card admission into the tournament after the direct-entry player field was confirmed on July 10, is among 8 of the top 20 in women’s professional tennis who have signed on to play in New Haven next month. Yale fans will have an opportunity to watch the Romanian star up close — at special Yale-only ticket rates — just a week before the U.S. Open kicks off in New York City.

This year, for the first time, the Connecticut Open is offering Yale affiliates steep discounts to all sessions and for all seating levels throughout the tournament week. On the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 21 — when Halep is scheduled to play her first match — tickets purchased at the Yale rate begin at just $10 apiece, peaking at $86 for a platinum-level courtside box seat. (By contrast, at the U.S. Open, individual box seats the following Tuesday evening start at $500 and rise steeply from there.)

Five years ago, in the second of her three previous appearances in New Haven, Halep raised the singles trophy after wins against four-time champion Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals and defending champion Petra Kvitova in the final. This year she will face another competitive international draw that includes Kvitova (currently ranked no. 7) of the Czech Republic; France’s Caroline Garcia (no. 6); the Wimbledon semifinalist Julia Gorges from Germany (no. 13); and last year’s singles champion, Australia’s Daria Gavrilova (no. 25). The tournament will announce further additions to the player field — including the awarding of two remaining wild card slots — in the coming weeks.

To receive Yale’s special rates for bronze-, silver-, and gold-level tickets to the Connecticut Open, use the code CO18YALE when ordering from the tournament box office. (The 25% Yale discount on premium platinum-level seats is available by phone only, at 855-464-8366.) A complete schedule of events for the weeklong tournament — including a new Beer Fest at the Connecticut Open on Aug. 25 and the men’s legends matches on Aug. 23 and 24 — can be found on the Connecticut Open website.