New Haven, CT – Shock waves from a moderate earthquake, centered in Virginia, forced a temporary evacuation at the New Haven Open tennis event on Tuesday.
The stadium shook and water bottles sloshed back and forth at the Tennis Center at Yale University when the chair umpire decided to halt play.
Former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic was playing a second-round match when play was suspended for a couple of hours.
A magnitude 5.9 temblor centered about 40 miles northwest of Richmond, Virginia was felt from Georgia to Massachusetts, which is where President Barack Obama is vacationing this week, in Martha's Vineyard. Shaking was felt at the White House and all over the East Coast when the quake struck at 1:51 p.m. EDT.
Before effects of the quake hit on Day 3, third-seeded French Open runner-up Francesca Schiavone reached the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-1 pasting of Romanian Monica Niculescu.
The top seeds here are world No. 1 and three-time reigning champion Caroline Wozniacki and French Open winner and Australian Open runner-up Li Na. Wozniacki is on Tuesday's schedule.
This New Haven event serves as a final hardcourt U.S. Open tuneup.
The 2011 New Haven titlist will earn $103,000.
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