Our contributor Karen Helf is in Stanford this week and we're glad to feature her reports straight from the WTA grounds of the Bank of the West Classic.
Friday, July 22nd was another day of clear skies and warm temperatures on the Stanford University Campus. This day began with promise for the eight remaining players in the Bank of the West Classic singles draw. They had taken vastly different paths to this moment. Cici Bellis was the wildcard, Johanna Konta, Misaki Doi and Coco Vandeweghe were climbing the rankings, Alison Riske looking for a chance to shine and veteran Venus Williams, the top seed.