STANFORD, Calif. – Former Cardinal standout Nicole Gibbs rallied past Anna Tatishvili 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday afternoon in the qualifying round of the Bank of the West Classic, punching her ticket to the main draw.
Displaying the same trademark fight associated in such a dominant career on The Farm, Gibbs advanced to the tournament's main draw for the first time in two years. Tied at 3-3 in the second set, Gibbs ripped the final three games to even the match. Trailing 5-4 in the third frame, Gibbs responded once again by winning the next three games.
Gibbs, who defeated current All-American junior Taylor Davidson 6-0, 6-2 in the opening round of qualifying on Saturday, will not have the luxury of being able to savor today's victory. Gibbs heads right back to the court Monday, squaring off against France's Caroline Garcia in the second match of the morning session (not before 1 p.m. PT) inside the stadium.
An All-American in singles during each of her three seasons at Stanford (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.
Gibbs compiled a 56-5 career record at Taube Family Tennis Stadium during her three seasons on The Farm.
Also in action on Monday 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.
