Media contacts:
Pat Lopes Harris, SJSU Media Relations Director, 408-924-1748, pat.harris@sjsu.edu
Lawrence Fan, SJSU Athletics Media Relations Director, 408-924-1217, lawrence.fan@sjsu.edu

 

San Jose, Calif. — San Jose State University is proud to announce that it will host the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic July 30 to August 5 at SJSU’s new tennis complex. Through a five-year, minimum $1.5-million agreement, IMG rental fees will fund the construction of a custom stadium court for 4,000 fans and a state-of-the-art building housing locker rooms, a players’ lounge and coaches’ offices. The announcement was made jointly by SJSU, IMG, an Endeavor company, and the Mubadala Investment Company, a pioneer in strategic global investments.

“Northern California is known for its outstanding tennis at all levels and its support of professional tennis tournaments. It will be a privilege to host a world-class event like the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic,” SJSU Athletics Director Marie Tuite said. “We look forward to hosting some of the most elite women’s tennis players in the world at our new tennis complex with the same hospitality, energy and service as when we hosted the Carolina Panthers for Super Bowl 50 and Lionel Messi and the Argentina national men’s soccer team for Copa Americano 2016.”
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World-class Event

The Spartan Tennis Complex opened in December 2017 and consists of six United States Tennis Association approved and illuminated outdoor courts. In the future, SJSU plans to add six covered courts to the tennis complex, which is conveniently located less than one mile south of Interstate 280’s Seventh and 10th street exits and a seven-minute drive from downtown San Jose.

More than 1,000 parking spaces less than a quarter-mile walk to the tennis complex will be available to spectators. Tournament players and officials also will have access to other SJSU South Campus athletics facilities.

“When we met with San Jose State, we could tell right away that they would be more than a venue, but a partner that was willing to invest and help us grow the event,” Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic Tournament Director Vickie Gunnarsson said.

Women’s Tennis Champions

First played in 1971 and most recently at Stanford University’s Taube Family Tennis Stadium, the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic is a WTA Premier event and is the longest running women’s-only professional tennis tournament. The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic is owned and operated by IMG, and features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw. Total prize money is $776,000.

Past champions Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters combined for 28 of the 47 Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic singles championships.

For Mubadala, the WTA event at San Jose State expands the company’s robust sponsorship portfolio in the tennis world. The Mubadala World Tennis Championship, now in its 10th year, is a December men’s tennis international event held in Abu Dhabi. Mubadala is a host level sponsor of the Rio Open, an ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) 500 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil each February.

Tremendous Heritage

“Mubadala is proud to sponsor this tournament, which has such a tremendous heritage in the Bay Area and women’s tennis,” said Nadine Saleh Hassan, senior vice president for communications at Mubadala. “Silicon Valley is associated with innovation and great thinking, and we want to play a part in keeping such a championship-level sporting event in this area for fans and players alike.”

During the week of the tournament, there will be a variety of outreach initiatives including grassroots youth tennis clinics.

“IMG has a long-standing global relationship with Mubadala and we’re looking forward to leveraging their expertise in technology and innovation to raise the entertainment value for our fans,” WME and IMG Co-President Mark Shapiro said. “Mubadala’s commitment to the growth of tennis makes the company an ideal partner for us.”


About San Jose State University

The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, San Jose State provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 250 areas of study – offered through its eight colleges.

With more than 35,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, San Jose State University continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing 10,000 graduates to the workforce.

The university is immensely proud of the accomplishments of its more than 260,000 alumni, 60 percent of whom live and work in the Bay Area. 


About Spartan Athletics

San Jose State University sponsors 20 (seven men’s and 13 women’s) NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports programs for approximately 470 student-athletes annually. In football, the Spartans are a member of Division I’s Football Bowl Subdivision, the NCAA’s highest level of competition.

The Spartans’ primary conference affiliation is with the Mountain West. Selected teams belong to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, the Western Athletic Conference and the Golden Coast Conference. San Jose State has 10 NCAA team championships and 52 NCAA individual titles.

Sixty-two Spartans competed in one or more Olympic Games. San Jose State athletes have won seven gold, six silver and seven bronze medals at the Olympics. Annually, about one-third of the student-athlete population earns either an institutional, conference or national recognition based on outstanding academic performance.