Following Her Wimbledon Victory Williams Downs Vandeweghe to Defend Her Bank of the West Title
- Coco Vandeweghe stepped out of the shadows with her run to the Bank of the West final, but Serena took the title in Palo Alto once again, 7-5, 6-3.
It’s just a matter of perspective.
For Stanford’s Mallory Burdette and Nicolle Gibbs, it was a huge step up. To play on their familiar Stanford court in a prestigious WTA event – the Bank of the West Classic – was an eye-opening upgrade.
For Lady Serena Williams it was different. Just two days before flying over 5,000 miles to Palo Alto she was the toast of tennis. Holding court amidst flashing cameras and adoring fans, she pranced across Wimbledon’s grand stages. Before the international media, she kissed her loved-ones, hugged the shiny plate and held forth with Federer at a snazzy gala. These were giddy times: glitter, glitter – heady fame, ample fortune.
So certainly the diva would find some reason (plausible or otherwise) to bag the relatively modest Bank of the West Classic being hosted in that Silicon Valley outback they call Palo Alto.
But, to her great credit, sizzling Serena followed through on her commitment and showed up eight times zones east of tennis’ Eden to defend her 2011 Stanford win (which kick-started her great summer season last year.) Here she wouldn’t exactly face the crème de la crème. En route to the finals her foes had an average ranking of No. 152. Unlike Wimbledon, here there were no real scares and in the finals she’d face a player with one of the coolest first names and one of the better pedigrees in tennis. Coco Vandewege’s Grandfather Ernie and uncle Kiki were blue chip NBA players. Her grandmother was Miss America. Her brother Beau was an Olympic volleyball medalist and her Mom Tauna was an Olympic volleyball player and a swimmer.
But, for a couple of years, things had not been exactly going swimmingly. Yes, 6’1” Coco had size, an in-your-face, first strike game and a fluid, bend ‘n blast serve. But the ’08 U.S. Open Junior Champ had faced heartbreaking family divorce, serious coaching issues and, even worse, hobbling injuries. A chance for glory at the Fed Cup final in ’10 in her hometown, turned sour. (Think: “not ready for primetime”.) All the while, new American faces – Chistina McHale, Sloane Stephens, Varvara Lepchenko, Irina Falconi – were rising. Good wins were few. In well over a year she hadn’t reached a quarterfinal. Her ranking – No. 120 – didn’t impress. She suffered a humbling Wimbledon defeat and lost in the second round of the qualifying for the Bank of the West.
Then lightning struck. She gained entry into the draw and took full advantage as she swept by the considerable Hungarian Melinda Czink, former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, Urszula Radwanska and Belgian’s No. 1, Yanina Wickmayer, to set up a meeting with her fellow Southern Californian, Ms. Serena, in what was the first All-American WTA final on home soil in eight years.
But beating Serena on a fast hard court is a “big ask.”Still, after a nervous start, Vandeweghe broke Serena twice and (“who would of thunk it”) had a set point in the opening set. Yes, Coco has a great pedigree. But then again, Williams’ sister Venus isn’t too shabby either. The Williams sisters have won 51 Gra
nd Slam titles. Coco’s won two Slam matches. Not surprisingly, when she was down set point. Williams fired one of her fearsome step-in crosscourt backhand returns. She soon seamlessly upgraded her groundies and vaunted serve to score a 7-5, 6-3 win for the Bank of the West title.
Eight days earlier Serena had tied her sister’s mark of five Wimbledons. Now she tied Venus’ total of 43 WTA titles. Still, Coco had plenty to puff about. This was a breakthrough tournament for the 20-year old who seemed to be saying, “I’m out of the shadows. I’m more then a prospect with a 121-MPH serve and a hefty pedigree.”
Yes, she made errors in the finals. “I’m human,” she explained. “I make mistakes … and tennis is all about short term memory.” Yes, but this sport is also about long term memories, and Coco will certainly long remember her trip to Stanford when she went (to be candid) from poser and loser, to “lucky loser” to a fierce, power player ripping through considerable competition while losing but a single set before she played tough against Serena.
“That’s not shabby,” said Coco, who has now risen to No. 69 and is one of nine American women in the top 100. “Making the finals, beating the players I beat, getting the experience of playing Serena is a breakthrough in itself,” she said. “To push someone as great as Serena is an accomplishment in itself, especially for a young player who grew up watching her.”
Now, American fans will be watching her and be hoping the blonde Southern Californian with the cool name and hot pedigree will (like her fellow family members before her – Tauna, Beau, Kiki and Ernie) score many a win.
