Better Buzz Coffee San Diego Open<\/p>\n
What: ATP 100 Challenger and ITF Women\u2019s 100 tournaments<\/p>\n
Where: Barnes Tennis Center, 4490 W Point Loma Blvd.<\/p>\n
Background: This is the first time for both men\u2019s and women\u2019s brackets simultaneously in the six-year history of San Diego Open. Past events included the men\u2019s ATP 250 (2021-22) and the women\u2019s WTA 500 (2022-24). The ATP Challenger 100 was introduced last year, with the ITF Women\u2019s 100 added this time. To accommodate both, the tourney moved up a month on the calendar, coinciding with the second week of the Australian Open.<\/p>\n
Level of play: These are lower-tier tournaments featuring players who are looking to rise in the rankings and those seeking to return to the upper levels.<\/p>\n
Schedule: Monday qualifying begins at 10 a.m.; matches start at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; Friday, Saturday and Sunday\u2019s matches all start at noon.<\/p>\n
Tickets: Admission Monday is free; Tuesday through Saturday, tickets are $28.28 and $45.25; tickets are $45.25 on Sunday. Kids ages 17 and under get in free with a paying adult.<\/p>\n
Field: 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams.<\/p>\n
Prize money: $177,000 for the men ($25,000 for the singles champion) and $100,000 for the women ($15,000 for the singles champion).<\/p>\n
Local women: Carlsbad\u2019s Julieta Pareja, who turns 17 on Feb. 18, returns to the courts where she reached the semifinals of the USTA Billie Jean King Girls 18s National Championships last summer. Earlier last year in Colombia, she became the youngest player to reach the semifinals of a WTA 250 tourney since Coco Gauff in 2019. Pareja currently ranks fourth in the ITF world junior rankings. Also back in front of hometown fans is Haley Giavara, a Serra High School (now Canyon Hills) grad and two-time All-American at Cal. She\u2019s won 12 doubles titles in ITF play. San Diego\u2019s Katherine Hui, the 2023 U.S. Open juniors champion who subsequently played two years at Stanford, is in her first year as a pro. She also reached the Billie Jean King 18s finals in 2023 following graduation from Santa Fe Christian High School.<\/p>\n
Leading women: This is the first tournament in two years for UCLA grad Jennifer Brady, an Australian Open finalist in 2021. Once ranked as high as No. 13, she was sidelined by right shin surgery. Brady withdrew from Australian Open qualifying this year for undisclosed reasons. Returning to familiar territory is Kayla Day, who won the USTA Girls 18s National Championship here in 2016. The Santa Barbara native turned pro the next year and reached a career-high No. 84 two years ago. A top early entry, Canada\u2019s Marina Stakusic withdrew after experiencing severe leg cramps at the Australian Open. She advanced to the second round of the San Diego Open WTA tourney as a qualifier as two years ago.<\/p>\n
Local men: Making encore tourney appearances are brothers Zach and Trevor Svajda. Trevor, a junior at SMU, upstaged his older brother by reaching last year\u2019s quarterfinals. Zach, who lost in the opening round a year ago, ranks 142nd in the world and owns six Challenger titles. Another local touch comes from Oliver Tarvet, a USD senior from Great Britain. He went from being a wild card in qualifying to reaching the second round at Wimbledon last year. Also vying is Point Loma High School grad Keegan Smith, who reached a career-high No. 339 three years ago.<\/p>\n
Leading men: Heading the men\u2019s field is Sebastian Korda, who reached a career-high No. 15 ranking in 2024. He now stands 53rd following recovery from a stress fracture in his right shin. His father, Petr, of Czech Republic, rose to No. 2 in 1998. Another contender is Brandon Holt, of Rolling Halls, the son of tennis legend Tracy Austin. The sixth-year pro reached a career-high No. 99 last June. Defending champion Eliot Spizzirri withdrew after reaching the third round of the Australian Open. Online: barnestenniscenter.com\/sandiegoopen<\/p>\n
\u2014 GLAE THIEN<\/p>\n
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