Stanford senior Mallory Burdette nearly pulled out a set against the 10th-ranked player in the world, Marion Bartoli, at the Bank of the West Classic Thursday, but dropped the second-round match 7-5, 6-0.
“I’m definitely aware of how great that experience was,” Burdette said after the match. “I think I had my chances there in the first set as she was getting going.
“It’s just a testament to how great of a player she is,” she said. “When you’re playing a top player like Marion, if you don’t take your chances when they’re there, they’re probably going to take it away from you.”
Burdette dropped a three-setter with Cardinal doubles partner Nicole Gibbs on Wednesday, and since Gibbs had fallen quickly to Serena Williams earlier that afternoon, Stanford has no players remaining in the tournament.
Williams and Bartoli are the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the tournament, respectively. Bartoli’s quarterfinal match against Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer begins today at 2 p.m., and Williams faces South Africa’s Chanelle Scheepers at 7 p.m.
—Joseph Beyda