Recent rains aside, there are bright days ahead for the Cymbiotika San Diego Open.
This year’s tourney, concluding with Sunday’s finals, brought the end of a three-year contract in effect since its inception with a two-year option to renew.
That original deal is being replaced by a five-year extension, tournament director Ryan Redondo confirmed Saturday.
Redondo also noted that conceptual drawings have been completed for a permanent 3,000-seat stadium at Barnes Tennis Center’s center court, with construction timing to be determined. The tourney currently uses mostly temporary seating, with a capacity of 2,625.
The tournament is owned by Octagon, an international sports and entertainment firm that owns or operates at least 10 other pro tourneys.
“We are continuously and consistently speaking to Octagon and to the tour,” Redondo said. “Also, internally, we’re working on renovations.”
The tourney was first played in October and then September before moving to February/March, a week ahead of the prestigious BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Plans call for the tourney to remain in that slot on the tour schedule.
The San Diego Open’s website notes that “The road to Indian Wells … begins in San Diego.” However, while all the top 10 players are entered at Indian Wells, only No. 5 Jessica Pegula took the path through San Diego.
“There are no regrets (about the slogan); that was the intention,” Redondo said. “We just need time, and with time, we’ll be able to ensure that we have a great field next year.”
A drawback proved to be the tour’s Middle East swing, which concluded with the lucrative Dubai Open ending the day before San Diego tourney.
That situation will still be in effect. The switch to February meant just a six-month turnaround from the last tourney.
“Now we are very excited to have a year to really organize at the highest level,” said Redondo, who noted that this year’s tournament was short one sponsor because of limited planning time. With the help of a 50 percent coupon code for general ission, a sellout is expected for the finals.
Getting up close
For Eastlake High School’s Victoria Zukoreva and Andrea Del Castillo, the best view of the matches comes from the side of the net or behind the baseline. Those positions came with being San Diego Open ball kids.
“It feels more personal when you’re standing right next to them watching them from like two feet away,” Zukoreva said. “It’s interesting analyzing from a different perceptive.”
The two, who each play on the Titans girls tennis team, started as ball kids at the previous tourney. On Saturday, they worked the opening doubles and singles matches, following a match with Pegula the previous night.
“As a tennis player, it impacts me a lot because it motivates me to play like they are and try to reach higher goals,” Del Castillo said. “It’s just everything about them.”
Drip, drip, drip
An hour before Saturday’s scheduled noon start, two workers used leaf blowers to dry center court from the effects of morning rain.
Another examined the drip from the edge of the VIP sky box overhanging the court. The doubles semifinal match, which was delayed 38 minutes, soon experienced a rain delay of nearly 55 minutes and didn’t end until 3:36 with a tiebreaker.
The third-seeded team of American Nicole Meilichar-Martinez and Australia’s Ellen Perez prevailed 5-7, 6-4, 11-9 over the No. 2 duo of Australia’s Storm Hunter and the Czech Republic’s Katarina Siniakova.
A rain delay during the first singles semifinal came with a rainbow.
Thien is a freelancer writer.
