July 18, 2018
Purchase Tickets
Since the beginning of the month, San Jose State University Athletics Facility and Events Coordinator and Compton, Calif., native Cottrell Hill witnessed first-hand the transformation of the South Campus for the upcoming Mubadala (Moo-bah-dah-lah) Silicon Valley Classic Women's Tennis Association tournament.
The Spartans' facilities specialist saw the installation of the 4,000-seat stadium court to complement the university's six new outdoor courts and many of the amenities players, officials and tennis fans will see the week of July 30-August 5.
And, for that week, too, it will be nothing new for Hill, when he sees Venus and Serena Williams at San Jose State. As a youngster, Hill would drive by the courts where the Williams sisters learned the game of tennis at the courts off of the Atlantic Boulevard exit off the 710 Freeway.
"My dad (Floyd Hill) would say they would be out there for hours hitting the ball back and forth. They made it out with tennis. Nobody really does that with tennis in Compton like that. These are like the only two or four tennis courts I would see in Compton," the younger Hill said about the neighborhood where his dad was a fire fighter.
Serena and Venus, added to the field on July 17, are two of the 28 world-class singles players competing for the Women's Tennis Association's (WTA) Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic singles championship at San Jose State University. The tournament is first stop in the five-tournament U.S. Open Series and is the leadoff event to the U.S. Open Championship in New York in September.
"They'd probably be surprised or shocked if somebody knew where they played when they were younger, but it's nice to see some hometown people play," Hill said.
SAN JOSÉ STATE AS A VENUE FOR PREMIER SPORTS & ATHLETICS EVENTS
Conveniently located less than one mile south of Interstate 280's Seventh and 10th street exits and a seven-minute drive from downtown San José, the SJSU Tennis Complex opened in December 2017 and presently consists of six USTA-approved (United States Tennis Association) illuminated outdoor courts. Future plans include adding six covered courts to the Tennis Complex.
Tournament players and officials also will have access to San José State's conveniently located athletics facilities at its South Campus. More than 1,000 parking spaces less than a quarter-mile walk to the San José State University Tennis Complex will be available to spectators for world-class championship tennis.
"Northern California is known for its outstanding tennis at all levels and its support of professional tennis tournaments. It will be a privilege to host a world-class event like the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic. We look forward to hosting some of the elite women's tennis players in the world at our new Tennis Complex with the same hospitality, energy and service as when we hosted the Carolina Panthers for Super Bowl 50 and Lionel Messi and the Argentina national men's soccer team for Copa Americano 2016," says Tuite about the long-term agreement to host top women's players in the world for a week.
"When we met with San José State, we could tell right away that they would be more than a venue, but a partner that was willing to invest and help us grow the event," said Vickie Gunnarsson, tournament director of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
First played in 1971 and most recently at Stanford University's Taube Family Tennis Stadium, the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic is a WTA Premier event and is the longest running women's-only professional tennis tournament. The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic is owned and operated by IMG, and features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw. Total prize money is $776,000.
Past champions Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters combined for 28 of the 47 Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic singles championships.
For Mubadala, the WTA event at San José State expands the company's robust sponsorship portfolio in the tennis world. The Mubadala World Tennis Championship, now in its 10th year, is a December men's tennis international event held in Abu Dhabi. Mubadala is a host level sponsor of the Rio Open, an ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) 500 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil each February.
"Mubadala is proud to sponsor this tournament, which has such a tremendous heritage in the Bay Area and women's tennis," said Nadine Saleh Hassan, senior vice-president for communications at Mubadala. "Silicon Valley is associated with innovation and great thinking, and we want to play a part in keeping such a championship-level sporting event in this area for fans and players alike."
During the week of the tournament, there will be a variety of outreach initiatives including grassroots youth tennis clinics.
"IMG has a long-standing global relationship with Mubadala and we're looking forward to leveraging their expertise in technology and innovation to raise the entertainment value for our fans," said WME and IMG Co-President Mark Shapiro. "Mubadala's commitment to the growth of tennis makes the company an ideal partner for us."
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 32,000 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.