New Haven, the final tennis stop prior to the U.S. Open, no longer has a title sponsor or a men’s draw, but organizers say they are confident of the tournament’s future because it does have a very big name behind it — Yale University, The Associated Press reports.
The WTA’s inaugural New Haven Open at Yale is being held this week at the 15,000-seat Connecticut Tennis Center, which has hosted a pro tournament, first the Volvo and then the Pilot Pen, every year since it was built in 1990.
But this year, Yale will be taking on a much bigger role than host, becoming one of five major sponsors of the tournament. Yale stepped in financially to help save the tournament after Pilot Pen ended its 15-year run as a title sponsor last year.
“Yale fully understands that as goes the image of New Haven, so goes the image of Yale,” tournament director Anne Worcester said. “I think Yale understands the benefit of this tournament to this city and this region, economically and in terms of image and reputation.”
Committing its money and name to a professional sporting event puts Yale in a unique position among major universities, said Charles Harris, a sports marketing expert.
