SM Resident Rolling Through U.S. Open

After spending the past year hitting the books at Stanford University, Santa Monica’s Nicole Gibbs hit the tennis courts at the United States Open with full force Monday afternoon in Flushing Meadows, New York.

In her opening round match of the girls' singles draw against Patricia Ku Flores of Peru, Gibbs dominated from the first point with her powerful baseline game, racing to a 5-0 lead in the first set in less than 20 minutes and cruising to a 6-1, 6-1 victory.

“I was able to take advantage of all the short balls she was hitting and just take charge out there today,” said Gibbs, a 2010 graduate of Crossroads High. “It just felt good to get out there and to play that well for the opening match.”

Gibbs also competed in the qualifying draw for the women’s singles event at the U.S. Open two weeks ago. Despite losing in the opening round of that, she said the experience was valuable for her as she makes a run at the junior title this week.

“Being able to compete at the U.S. Open and get a feel for the courts, no matter what division it is, can only be beneficial for me,” Gibbs said. “Even though I didn’t win a round, I still played well against a tough opponent and that always gives you confidence.”

Gibbs moved to Santa Monica from Manhattan Beach last year after spending much of her childhood in Cleveland, OH. She now works with Mark Lucero at the USTA Training Center in Carson during the summer, and the coaches at Stanford during the school year to try and bring her game to the next level.

“My serve has improved a lot this summer, as well as my mobility in terms of tracking down shorter balls,” said Gibbs, who reached the second round of qualifying at the Bank of the West Classic in 2010, beating Beatrice Capra, 6-4, 6-4, before falling to Olga Savchuk, 6-4, 6-3.

Gibbs graduated high school a year early and will be entering her sophomore year at Stanford despite just turning 18. She was an All-American in singles as a freshman after a team-best 46-6 overall record, earned a final national singles ranking of No. 12 and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Singles Championships.  

She is looking at a possible major in economics or political science, but says that juggling top-level academics with her tennis is actually easier than it was in high school.

“I’m definitely not getting the same grades I used to because the academics here are more difficult, but everything that I need is right here on campus, so it’s easier just because I’m spending less time commuting,” Gibbs said. “Instead of driving 30 or 40 minutes from school to tennis practice or the gym, it’s just a short bike ride away.”

Gibbs will play fourth-seeded Eugenie Bouchard of Canada in the second round Wednesday.