KSwiss Hypercourt Women's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 3.7

Our playtesters saw eye to eye when it came to the comfort of the Hypercourts. They agreed that there was sufficient padding and cushioning, but there were a few minor issues preventing these shoes from receiving top marks. The first thing Tiffani noticed was the absence of the typical KSwiss fit. She explained, "I was a bit surprised when I initially slipped the Hypercourts onto my feet. They had a more foot-hugging fit than I'm used to from KSwiss. Even though they fit a bit narrower through the midfoot and forefoot than typical KSwiss shoes, I still felt there was enough room for my wide feet to be comfortable. The cushioning was soft, and although it wasn't as plush as the cushioning in the Hypercourt Expresses, I enjoyed the lower ride and still felt the tongue and ankle collar offered plenty of padding. Unfortunately, as the test wore on my shoes loosened up a bit too much and I began to experience periodic toe jamming, which negatively affected the comfort for me."

Karly had a similar experience. She said, "My favorite thing about the comfort was the soft uppers. The plush material flexed naturally with my feet. The Hypercourts didn't need any breaking in, and I could play in them right out of the box without feeling any stiffness. However, the biggest downside for me was the toe jamming. As these shoes loosened up over time they didn't hold my feet as well. When I made quick stops my feet would slide forward, and there wasn't much padding at the toes to soften the blow. The toe jamming took away from the comfort of the extremely soft uppers."

"I playtested these shoes and the Hypercourt Expresses at the same time, so I was able to compare the two shoes side by side," said Brittany. "There was cushioning underfoot in the Hypercourts, but I didn't find it as plush or gel-like as the Expresses. There was noticeably less cushioning around the ankle collars but more cushioning in the tongue. They weren't as wide as the Expresses, but I still had to tie them up pretty tightly, and the extra plush tongue prevented any pinching or rubbing that could have occurred."

For the most part, Michelle really enjoyed the level of comfort. She offered, "KSwiss shoes are always pretty comfortable for me, and these were no different. I found the Hypercourts to have step-in comfort with no break-in time, and the cushioning felt plush. I also thought these fit my feet better than the Hypercourt Expresses. The only issue I had with comfort was when I played outside on a warm day; I noticed a bit of a rubbing and a burning sensation under my big toes."

Ventilation - Score: 3.6

Our playtesters failed to reach a consensus on the ventilation. Michelle said, "The Hypercourts weren't the most breathable shoes, and I thought they did run on the hot side. As I mentioned in the comfort section, I had a burning, rubbing sensation under my big toes, which I noticed more when I was playing outside on warm days. Ventilation usually doesn't bother me, but in this case it was a bit of a hinderance."

Karly, on the other hand, didn't mind the breathability of the Hypercourts. She said, "No complaints here about the ventilation. These shoes stayed cool enough that their temperature never grabbed my attention or distracted me while I was playing in them. They left my socks feeling a little damp, but I also didn't mind keeping them on after the hit was over."

Tiffani agreed with Karly, saying, "These shoes never felt overly hot to me, but I also don't recall feeling cool air coming in. Since I could comfortably wear them after a match I would rate their breathability slightly above average."

Brittany had mixed feelings, explaining that they were neither terribly hot nor extremely cool. She said, "The ventilation was average. I wouldn't say the Hypercourts kept my feet cool, but I also didn't experience any overheating. My feet did feel warm at times, but nothing too uncomfortable. However, I did take these shoes off pretty quickly after hitting."

Arch Support - Score: 3.6

Even though the Hypercourts have low arches, the majority of our playtesters thought they offered enough support. Michelle said, "The lower arch support was just fine with my higher arches. No complaints or issues here."

Brittany commented, "When I first put these shoes on the arch support was slightly lower than I would have liked. The insoles weren't as cushioned as the Hypercourt Expresses, but after a couple hits I could feel them starting to mold around my arches. At the end of the playtest I was still wishing for a tad more support since my arches would start to ache toward the end of a hit."

"The arch support felt pretty low to me, but my feet felt supported through the midfoot," said Tiffani. "I liked how I could cinch up the laces with the D-rings to use the uppers to support me through the arch area rather than rely on the flat insoles."

Karly thought the arch support worked well for her flatter feet. She said, "The arches were low, but that worked well for my flat feet. There was enough support to keep my feet comfortable and prevent any aching, which is all I could ask for.

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.3

While the testers enjoyed the secure fit of the Hypercourts, they still had to exercise caution because the soft uppers weren't quite supportive enough for very aggressive movements. Karly thought the support was compromised to increase comfort. She explained, "Even though the soft uppers felt really nice they were too soft to be very supportive. These shoes didn't hold my feet very tightly, no matter how I tied them. I was sliding a lot within the shoes and constantly trying to adjust the shoelaces for a secure fit. During play I wasn't very confident making quick stops and turns -- I had to back off making aggressive cuts so I wouldn't roll an ankle. Unfortunately, the soft, lightweight uppers and loose fit resulted in an unstable feel on the court."

"Out of the gate I really enjoyed these Hypercourts," said Tiffani. "They hugged my feet and I didn't have any of the toe-jamming issues I experienced with the Hypercourt Expresses. They were lightweight, but because of their fit they just seamlessly moved with me, which in turn boosted my confidence. Unfortunately, all of that went south when I hit about the five-hour mark in these shoes. The uppers began to give a little bit more and I was tying my shoes every few points to tighten them. Then toe-jams started here and there. During my last time out with these shoes they gave out and I rolled an ankle, so I set them aside."

Fresh off the KSwiss Hypercourt Express review, Brittany compared the two shoes side by side. She said, "I gave these shoes a slightly higher score in support and stability than the Expresses. The Hypercourts weren't as wide, so my feet weren't moving around as much. I was still getting some movement, but my feet weren't twisting or jamming into the front the shoes. Ankle support was about the same in the two shoes, and I was yearning for just a little bit more."

Michelle also compared the Hypercourts to the Hypercourt Expresses. She agreed that the improved fit of the Hypercourts helped with support, but she still thought there was room for more. She said, "Like my experience with the Expresses, I felt like I wasn't getting completely locked into the Hypercourts. They did fit a little better so I wasn't sliding around inside them and I didn't have any problems with support. These shoes had a low to the ground ride, so I felt connected to the court and never noticed unwanted twisting. On the other hand, I never felt 100 percent secure in these shoes. I do like the classic D-rings, but I felt like these shoes could have used one more eyelet to lock in the heel."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.8

Although they were no match for the toughest, most durable tennis shoes, the lightweight Hypercourts did exceed the expectations of our playtesters. Karly said, "The durability compared to other shoes was average, but considering how light they felt I thought the shoes held up well. After the playtest was over the only damage I noticed was a little bit of smoothing. Granted, I wasn't moving as aggressively in these shoes because of the instability, but when taking their lightweight feel into account, I was pleased with how long they lasted."

Tiffani noticed some wear on the outsoles pretty early on, but because of their lightweight design she wasn't surprised. She noted, "After just a few wears the tread was smoothing on the outer edges, especially under the big toes where I typically see the most wear. These are not super durable, but the durability was in line for lightweight shoes."

"I would say the sole durability was a little above average," explained Brittany. "It wasn't great, but it did hold up for the 12-plus hours I playtested these shoes. I think the Hypercourts had slightly better durability than the Express version, and I have many hours left in these shoes."

Michelle said, "The soles held up pretty well. I have plenty of court time left in these shoes, although I was hoping KSwiss would put a durability guarantee on them. The traction did seem to wear down pretty fast, though, but in terms of complete smoothing or holes in the shoe, my shoes look fine."

Toe Durability - Score: 3.3

Our two draggers shared the same opinion about the Hypercourts' toe durability. "The toe durability was decent," said Brittany. "The toe bumper went up high enough and the DuraWrap upper covered half of the upper. However, I was starting to see some smoothing on the synthetic leather portion. I could see an extreme toe-dragger causing some major damage in that area and possibly going through it."

Tiffani added, "The uppers of the Hypercourts are a mix of two materials. The medial side is well protected with the TPU cage. That material held up well to court abrasions. However, the softer synthetic material did not. After just a couple of hours I had worn through the top layer of material. I only wore these a few hours because of the issues I had with ankle stability, but I had already compromised the upper of my right shoe. These are not going to hold up for heavy toe draggers."

Traction - Score: 3.3

The playtesters all agreed that the Hypercourts' traction was good at first, but it declined quickly Michelle said, "The traction level on these shoes started strong, but with more use the traction definitely wore down. There were some spots on the outside of the sole that were bare and had no traction, so I felt like they were a bit slippery. I never fell or slipped, but I ended up taking more steps to stop my feet instead of relying on the shoes to have the traction to stop me."

Tiffani offered, "When I first started playing in the Hypercourts the outsoles squeaked a lot. At that point I was actually enjoying the traction level, especially for the small, quick steps I like to take. However, as the outsoles wore in the traction level began to wane. I found myself slipping around more than I like, especially on take-offs. I had to put my hand down on one occasion because I wasn't expecting the shoes to give so much.

Karly echoed Tiffani's thoughts, saying, "These shoes grabbed the court surface really well at first, although that traction dropped quickly after a couple of hours. In the beginning they squeaked with every stop and pivot (it sounded like I was playing on a basketball court), but as the outsoles began to smooth the noise went away, as did the traction. By the end of the playtest I had to move carefully to make sure I didn't slip."

Brittany thought the low-to-the-ground feel helped with traction. She said, "I liked the low-to-the-ground feel because I felt more connected to the ground when moving around aggressively. I also felt quicker in my movements because I trusted the shoes more. However, I would say the traction was average. Not bad, but nothing that stood out when I was playing."

Weight - Score: 3.9

We've been told that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Turns out, you can't always judge a shoe by its weight, either. To our playtesters' surprise, the Hypercourts felt lighter than they were anticipating. Tiffani explained, "These are actually heavier than the Hypercourt Expresses, but they feel lighter to me. I enjoyed the fit of these shoes. The uppers hugged my feet, so I felt like the shoes were always moving with me."

Brittany said, "Surprisingly, my experience with the Hypercourts was the exact opposite of my experience with the Hypercourt Expresses. I thought they played lighter than their actual weight, and they felt like they weighed about the same weight as the Expresses. They were slightly lighter than the average tennis shoe, but again, there was nothing special to note about the weight."

"I wasn't expecting the Hypercourts to feel as light as they did," agreed Karly. "I even thought they played lighter than the Hypercourt Expresses, which actually weigh less. The Hypercourts had a low-to-the-ground ride, and they made it easy to take off and start moving. The only reason I didn't give them a higher score in weight is because of their instability; I had to slow down my movements so I wouldn't roll an ankle."

Michelle looked at the big picture. She compared the Hypercourts to all shoes, saying, "For me, these shoes fell right in the middle of the weight spectrum. They didn't feel super light, but were decently quick. They didn't feel heavy or bulky, either. They were solid, middle-weight shoes. I think they felt faster because the ride was low-to-the-ground . The cushioning was supportive, but it didn't weigh me down."

Overall - Score: 3.5