STANFORD, Calif. – Nicole Gibbs fell short in her bid for a fourth victory in five days, falling 6-3, 7-6 (5) to Elina Svitolina on Wednesday night at the Bank of the West Classic.
After falling into an early hole, Gibbs nearly forced a third set before Svitolina, the tournament’s No. 8 seed and ranked No. 20 in the world, prevailed in a tiebreaker.
Backed by another vocal crowd of Stanford supporters at Taube Family Tennis Stadium, Gibbs reached the round of 16 following a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Caroline Garcia on Monday afternoon for her first WTA main draw win since April.
Playing on the same court in which she compiled a 56-5 career collegiate record, Gibbs trailed 4-3 in the first set before Svitolina won the final two games.
The second set was much tighter, with the players alternating games until Gibbs held serve for a 6-5 lead. However, Svitolina knotted the match at 6-6 and eventually took control in the tiebreaker after both players had won three points.
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.
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.