Burdette falls in Bank of the West Classic, Gibbs to play today

Nicole Gibbs is now the only Stanford-affiliated athlete remaining in the Bank of the West Classic tournament after the conclusion of the first rounds of both the singles and doubles brackets after a tough loss (2-6, 6-3, 10-8) by former Cardinal standout Mallory Burdette and partner Sorana Cirstea in their first match of the doubles tournament.

Burdette—ranked 76th in the world after leaving Stanford early to turn pro—and the Romanian Cirstea were given a tough first-round matchup in the form of third-seeded duo Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and American Lisa Raymond.

Nicole Gibbs is now the sole Stanford affiliate left in the Bank of the West Classic’s draw (MIKE KHEIR/The Stanford Daily)

The first set was fairly even in the early goings as Burdette and Cirstea battled to a 3-2 edge. Spurred by a strong service game from both of the as the set went on, however, the duo easily claimed the next three games en route to a 6-2 set victory.

However, the experienced Hantuchova and Raymond battled back in the second set, as they in turn claimed three games in a row after the set started even at 2-2. They benefited from greatly improved serving compared to the first set to prevail 6-3 and force a tiebreaker.

In the first-to-ten tiebreaker, the two pairs traded points until Raymond and Hantuchova finally pulled away, opening up the gap to 8-6. However, Burdette and Cirstea fought until the end, drawing even at 8-8 before finally relinquishing the set and the match by a final of 10-8.

With Burdette’s exit from the tournament, Stanford will turn to Gibbs, who won her first-round singles match against the Dutch Kiki Bertens, as she readies herself for a Thursday afternoon matchup against fourth-seeded American Jamie Hampton.