Bay Area loses longtime women's event as WTA moves to Washington DC

After a run of more than 50 years, the Bay Area will no longer have a major women's tennis tournament.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) announced on Thursday that the tournament formerly known as the Silicon Valley Classic is moving from San Jose to Washington, D.C.

“It's devastating,” said John Poch, the executive director of the San Jose Sports Authority. “We loved hosting the tournament. It was a big part of our DNA. It's tough to lose.”

The move brings an end to an iconic part of women's tennis history, as the Bay Area's tournament was the first U.S.-based event during the groundbreaking Virginia Slims Circuit in 1971. It has been held every year but two (1978, 2020) since then, making it the oldest and longest-running women's-only tennis event in the world.

Billie Jean King won the initial event and became a three-time champion. Other major tennis names to win multiple Bay Area tournaments include Martina Navratilova (five titles), Kim Clijsters (four) and Chris Evert (three).

The Williams sisters also made their mark on the event: Serena won it three times and Venus twice. Perhaps most noteworthy is that in 1994, Venus made her professional debut at age 14 at the tournament — then in Oakland — and won her first match.

The newly named Mubadala Citi DC Open will begin July 29 in Washington D.C. and pairs up the women's 500-level event with the men's Associated of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in the same city. It'll be the only combined 500-level event on tour. The 500 level is the fourth-highest tier in pro tennis tournaments.

“They just had an opportunity to join forces with the men's tour and do it at a bigger venue,” Poch said. “If you look at economies of scale, San Jose did everything they could to make this tournament a success.”

The event was played on San Jose State's campus for the last five years (with the 2020 tournament canceled because of coronavirus). Poch estimated that it took the university almost a month each year to build the center court for the tournament, which took over much of the campus and forced five other sports teams to adjust training schedules and locations.

While the San Jose State venue seated only 3,200 fans compared to the 7,500 capacity at the new venue in Washington, D.C., the tournament was largely considered a success on a local scale.