The Connecticut Open in New Haven was a happy hunting ground for Caroline Wozniacki between 2008 and 2011, when she won the title four years in a row. But she comes into this year’s event desperate to find some form before the US Open, having not won a match since Wimbledon and not regained full fitness following a calf injury.

Wozniacki will need to play her best tennis to win the tournament for a fifth time, since she is seeded to face defending champion Petra Kvitova in the semifinals and a revitalised Simona Halep in the final. Her route to that stage could be relatively straightforward if she plays well, with Alison Riske in round one, probably Eugenie Bouchard in round two, and Timea Bacsinszky, Caroline Garcia, or Flavia Pennetta in the quarterfinals.

Halep is undoubtedly the favorite to win this title, particularly after a very impressive week in Cincinnati, and she should beat any of the opponents she is likely to face before a possible semifinal with fourth seed Lucie Safarova. Taking on Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinals could also be a testing encounter, but still one the Romanian would be expected to win.

The world No. 2 may not even face Safarova in the semifinal, since the 2015 French Open finalist has Daria Gavrilova, Dominika Cibulkova, or Kristina Mladenovic are all capable of upsetting her if they play very well. Coming up against Safarova in the first round is certainly a great opportunity for rising star Gavrilova to remind everyone how much potential she has. If she wins, she could go a long way at New Haven.

Everywhere you look in the final quarter of the draw, there are good players. If Kvitova is feeling fit and healthy, she will be the player to beat, but Agnieszka Radwanska will be trying her utmost to prove otherwise. The Polish No. 1 has had a disappointing 2015 season by her own high standards, and a mixed US Open Series so far, so she will be keen to get as many confidence-boosting wins under her belt as possible before she begins her campaign at Flushing Meadows.

Either Kvitova or Radwanska could come unstuck against Elina Svitolina, the young Ukrainian who is in the form of her life. Since Wimbledon, the 21-year-old has reached the World Team Tennis final with the Austin Aces, the Stanford semifinal, and then, last week, the semifinal at the Cincinnati Open, which is a Premier Five event, making it one of the biggest on the WTA tour.

Svitolina’s first-round match is against Madison Keys, and if the young American plays well, it could be a classic. So far in 2015, Keys has saved her best tennis for the majors, reaching the Australian Open semifinals and the Wimbledon quarterfinals. However, aside from almost winning Charleston, she has struggled in the smaller tournaments. Can she turn that record around in New Haven?

Also in the “Quarter of Death” are two very capable players – Alize Cornet and Coco Vandeweghe – who are good enough to win tournaments like the Connecticut Open if they produce their very best. Vandeweghe has not won a match since her impressive run to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, but her naturally aggressive game can power her to victory if she is on song in her first-round clash with Radwanska. Cornet will probably face the winner of that match, and she will be hoping it is not the Pole, since she has lost both times they have played this year.

New Haven is an excellent last chance for out-of-form players like Wozniacki, Radwanska, Cornet, Bouchard, and Keys to find some crucial rhythm ahead of the US Open, and the women who make the most of the opportunity will feel a lot more confident about their chances at Flushing Meadows.