SAN JOSÉ, CA (March 16, 2018) – The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic announced today that defending champion Madison Keys and singles finalist CoCo Vandeweghe have both commited to play the 2018 event, taking place July 30-August 5, 2018 at San Jose State University.
Keys, winner of three career WTA singles titles, capped a magical run at last year’s tournament with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over Vandeweghe in the singles final. She followed up that performance with a run to the US Open final, and ended the season ranked No.19 despite missing a large chunk of the season while recoving from wrist surgery in June 2017.
“I am looking forward to coming back to the tournament and defending my title this year in San Jose,” said Keys. “I am glad IMG is keeping the event in the Bay Area, and can’t wait to see what the new venue will look like.”
In addition to advancing to last year’s singles final, Vandeweghe partnered with Abigail Spears to win the tournament’s double title.
Vandeweghe’s amazing run to both finals was part of a breakthrough year for the California native who recorded two wins over World No. 1 ranked players and reached the semifinals of both the 2017 Australian Open and US Open. She ended 2017 ranked a career-best No. 10 in the world.
“Living in California, this tournament has always been one of my favorites to attend,” said Vandeweghe. “I was concerned the event may leave the Bay Area, but was happy that it found a new home in Silicon Valley.”
First played in 1971, the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic is a Premier WTA event and 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 US Open Series. 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.