The San Diego Open was also called the Southern California Open in the past, and it also held the name of multiple sponsors, but currently, it's called the San Diego Open. This US-based tournament was launched in 1984 by former Argentinian tennis player Raquel Giscafre.
Previously, various women’s competitions had occurred in San Diego. The Virginia Slims and the Wells Fargo Open events were both short-lived in the 1970s and 1980s. After starting in 1984, the San Diego Open quickly earned a reputation as a strong competition.
As a result, several top WTA players competed in early versions of the tournament. Among them included former German player Steffi Graff and ex-British number one Anabel Croft. The tournament continued to maintain strength in the 1990s and 2000s.
Former winners in this period included Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams, and Maria Sharapova. However, between 2008 and 2009, the competition was not held before returning in 2010. From 2010 to 2022, the event was on and off for a period as the Tour relocated to Japan for the Asian leg.
When the San Diego Open was re-launched in 2022 as a WTA 500 event, some strong competitors entered the draw. Paula Badosa, Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, and Caroline Garcia were all participants in the tournament.
Iga Swiatek emerged as the tournament’s victor after she defeated Donna Vekic across three sets in the final. Former Roland Garros winner Barbora Krejcikova then won the tournament in 2023, defeating US player Sofiia Kenin.
