Ex-Stanford stars, Date, 46, in Stockton Challenger

Kristie Ahn serves during last year's FSP Gold River
Women's Challenger in the Sacramento area.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Nicole Gibbs and Kristie Ahn, both of whom led Stanford to the 2013 NCAA title, head the field for the $60,000 Stockton (Calif.) Challenger.
   Gibbs and Ahn are No. 117 and No. 118, respectively, in the new world rankings released today.
   Also entered in the Stockton Challenger, July 17-23 at the Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center on the University of the Pacific campus, is ageless wonder Kimiko Date of Japan.
   Date, 46, returned to competition in May after undergoing two operations on her left knee and missing 15 months. She climbed to a career-high No. 4 in 1995, retired in 1996, returned 12 years later and reached the semifinals of the inaugural Stockton Challenger in 2015.
   The $60,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger in the Sacramento suburb of Gold River is scheduled for July 24-30. The acceptance list has not been released, but it will be similar to Stockton's.
   Eighteen-year-old American Sofia Kenin, last year's Gold River champion, is entered in Stockton.

STOCKTON CHALLENGER

Acceptance list (with world rankings as of June 26)

1. Kristie Ahn, United States, 116
2. Nicole Gibbs, United States, 124
3. Jamie Loeb, United States, 145
4. Danielle Rose Collins, United States, 164
5. Sofia Kenin, United States, 165
6. Lizette Cabrera, Australia, 167
7. Kimiko Date, Japan, 193 (protected)
8. Grace Min, United States, 197
9. Usue Maitane Arconada, United States, 220
10. Jennifer Elie, United States, 226
11. Shilin Xu, China, 234 (protected)
12. Vera Lapko, Belarus, 239
13. Caroline Dolehide, United States, 245
14. Irina Falconi, United States, 246
15. An-Sophie Mestach, Belgium, 251
16. Amanda Anisimova, United States, 254
17. Tessah Andrianjafitrimo, France, 259
18. Katherine Sebov, Canada, 281
19. Ajla Tomljanovic, Croatia, 293
20. Francesca Di Lorenzo, United States, 330
21. Tammi Patterson, Australia, 332
22. Chanel Simmonds, South Africa, 340
23. Robin Anderson, United States, 362
24. Hanna Chang, United States, 412