SAN JOSÉ, CA (August 6, 2021) – For the second consecutive night it was No. 7 seed Danielle Collins that stole the show defeating No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina in a thrilling 7-6(5), 7-6(4) match on Friday night to advance to semi-finals of the 2021 Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic.
This marks Collins’ second trip to the semis of this historic Bay Area event having also reached the same round in 2018
One of the tournament’s hottest entrants coming into the match, Collins won her first career WTA title last month at the Palermo Ladies Open. She has now won eight straight matches, dropping just one set in that stretch.
Collins will face qualifier Ana Konjuh at 6 pm on Saturday. Konjuh won her fifth match in seven days knocking off Zhang Shuai 3-6, 6-2, 6-0.
In the top half of the draw things went to plan with No. 1 seed Elise Mertens defeating No. 8 seed Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 7-6(8) to book her spot in the 3 pm semi-final. She will face No. 4 seed Daria Kasatkina who defeated Magda Linette 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the first quarterfinal match of the day.
In doubles action, the top two seeded teams both advanced. No. 2 seeds Darija Jurak and Andreja Klepac defeated Emina Bektas and Tara Moore 6-2, 6-3. They will play the American team of Catherine McNally and Coco Vandeweghe in Saturday’s 1 pm semi-final.
The top seeded team of Gabriela Dabrowski and Olympic bronze medalist Luisa Stefani knocked the young American team of Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery 6-4, 6-2. Krueger (17) and Montgomery (16) are the youngest doubles team to compete at the event in its 50-year history.
Dabrowski and Stefani will play the tournament’s third-seeds Ellen Perez and Kveta Peschke Saturday night following the evening singles semifinal. Peschke is the two-time defending Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic doubles champion and is looking to win her third title in the Bay Area with a third different partner.
Tickets to Saturday’s semi-finals are available at www.mubadalasvc.com. You can also call the tournament ticket office at 1-833-94-MATCH (1-833-946-2824)
Co-founded by the legendary sportswoman, visionary, and activist Billie Jean King, the tournament was the first event of the historic 1971 women's professional tennis tour, a precursor to the WTA. Its list of past champions 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.
Owned and operated by IMG, the tournament features a 28-player singles draw and 16-team doubles draw and serves as the opening women's event of the US Open Series.
ABOUT THE MUBADALA SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC: Co-founded by Billie Jean King in 1971, the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic celebrates its 50th Anniversary and is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world. Owned and operated by IMG, the WTA 1000 level event is the first women's stop on the US Open Series and features a 28-player singles draw and 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $565,530.
ABOUT MUBADALA: Mubadala Investment Company is a sovereign investor managing a global portfolio, aimed at generating sustainable financial returns for the Government of Abu Dhabi. Mubadala's $243.4 billion (AED 894 billion) portfolio spans six continents with interests in multiple sectors and asset classes. We leverage our deep sectoral expertise and long-standing partnerships to drive sustainable growth and profit while supporting the continued diversification and global integration of the economy of the United Arab Emirates. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, Mubadala has offices in London, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, New York, San Francisco and Beijing. For more information about Mubadala Investment Company, please visit: www.mubadala.com
ABOUT THE US OPEN SERIES: The US Open Series serves as a true "regular season" of summer tennis in North America, linking nine summer WTA and ATP Tour tournaments to the US Open. Featuring a cohesive weekly schedule, the Series centralizes the way tennis is viewed in North America, across multiple television and digital platforms. Fans will see today's top champions go head-to-head with tomorrow's emerging stars, as storylines develop throughout the summer season. Each tournament also engages its local community with a variety of outreach initiatives, including grass-roots youth tennis clinics and activities.
ABOUT IMG: IMG is a global leader in sport, events, fashion, and media. The company manages some of the world's greatest athletes and fashion icons; owns and operates hundreds of live events annually; and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media. IMG also specializes in licensing, sports training and league development. IMG is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global entertainment, sports and content company.
ABOUT SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY: The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, San José State provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 250 areas of study – offered through its eight colleges. With more than 33,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, San José State University continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing 10,000 graduates to the workforce. The university is immensely proud of the accomplishments of its more than 260,000 alumni, 60 percent of whom live and work in the Bay Area.