STANFORD, Calif. – Once again, Nicole Gibbs managed to find that extra gear thanks to a little help from her friends.
Backed by another crowd of vocal Stanford supporters at Taube Family Tennis Stadium, the former Cardinal standout held on for a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Caroline Garcia on Monday afternoon to post her first match WTA main draw win since April.
Playing for a third straight day on the same court in which she compiled a 56-5 career collegiate record, Gibbs had to survive two rounds of qualifying over the weekend just to reach the main draw. That included a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 comeback against Anna Tatishvilli on Sunday afternoon.
Gibbs will next face either No. 8 seed Elina Svitolina or fellow qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko. The date and time of the match is yet to be determined.
Gibbs jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first set before Garcia responded by winning the next three games. The rest of the set played out with both players holding serve and Gibbs booking a 6-4 victory.
Tied at 3-3 in the second frame, Garcia moved in front 5-3 and it appeared as if the match was headed to a deciding set. However, Gibbs ripped off the final four games for a 7-5 triumph.
An All-American in singles during each of her three seasons on The Farm (2010-13) and two-time NCAA singles champion (2012, 2013), Gibbs elected to forego her senior season and turn pro. Gibbs reached the third round of the 2014 US Open and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 84 back in February. She is currently ranked No. 126 in the world and entered this week with a 6-17 overall record.
Also in action tonight will be junior Carol Zhao, who had already earned a wildcard spot in the main draw. Zhao will face Germany’s Mona Barthel in the second match of the night session (approx. 8:30 p.m. PT).
Zhao reached the second round of last year’s tournament, falling to World No. 11 and 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic after making it through the qualifying draw. The 2015 NCAA singles runner-up, Zhao has earned All-America honors in each of her first two seasons and finished 35-5 overall and 21-2 in duals as a sophomore. Two weeks ago, Zhao captured a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games, pairing with Gabriela Dabrowski as the Canadian duo defeated Mexico’s Victoria Rodriguez and Marcela Zacarias 6-1, 4-6, 10-5.
Tickets for the tournament’s opening round start at just $33 while ticket packages start at $205. For more information, or to purchase tickets, go to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com or call 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497).
The Bank of the West Classic, a Premier WTA event, features a 28-player singles draw as well as a 16-team doubles draw. The event is owned and operated by IMG and serves as the opening women's event of the Emirates Airline US Open Series.
The list of past champions of the event reads like a Who's Who of women's tennis including Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.
ABOUT THE BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC: The Bank of the West Classic is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world and is the first stop of the Emirates Airline US Open Series. Owned and operated by IMG, the WTA Premier event features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $731,000. Held on Stanford University’s campus at Taube Family Tennis Stadium since 1997, former champions include: Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.
ABOUT BANK OF THE WEST: Founded in 1874, $62.4 billion-asset Bank of the West (www.bankofthewest.com), member FDIC and equal housing lender, offers a wide range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services. The bank operates more than 700 retail and commercial banking locations in 19 Western and Midwestern states. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, which has a presence in 80 countries with nearly 200,000 employees.