Yonex VCORE 100+ 8th Gen Racquet Review

The Yonex VCORE 100+ 8th Gen proved to be an absolute hammer off either wing during baseline exchanges, giving our testers some of their most powerful shotmaking this year. Although the experience was demanding at times due to the high swingweight, the VCORE 100+'s primary strength was its ability to generate pace with some extra venom behind it. The VCORE 100+ worked like a charm for Chris, letting him up the pace while still going after his spots. He explained, "The VCORE 100+ 8th Gen quickly became my favorite racquet from the 2026 VCORE line for hitting groundstrokes. The power level of this racquet is addictive, and my aggressive shots had more pace and bite to them. I was able to do a better job of pushing my opponents back and controlling the baseline. When I was forced to defend, I liked that the power I could generate with this racquet allowed me to dig myself out and get back to aggressive play.  I loved the leverage the longer length gave me on my slice backhand. I felt like I could hold the direction of my shot longer, then drive the racquet through to my target. My topspin backhands had tons of pace, and I found way more control than expected. Maybe the easy power of this racquet allowed me to focus on placement rather than generating pace, but either way, I was finding my targets consistently."

Tiffani found impressive levels of power off both wings, although she noted feeling restricted by the racquet's smaller timing window on her groundstrokes. She said, "Since I found the standard VCORE 100 8th Gen to be powerful during its playtest, I knew the extended version was going to be a powerhouse. I can't say that I was wrong there, but I was also quite surprised that I didn't struggle as much with control as I expected. There were definitely times I missed - and missed big - but I knew why I was missing those shots. When I was missing long or wide it was because I was hitting the ball late. I liked to say that it was feast or famine with this VCORE 100+, because I was either hitting a ball that was heavier than my usual shots or I was missing by pretty big margins. All that extra leverage and swingweight provided lots of plow through and stability, but it also meant that I couldn't adjust and just flick my wrist or accelerate quickly when I was behind on my shots. It felt like everything was set, and there was no changing course once my swing was in motion. It's a fun racquet to hit with, but the VCORE 100+ isn't a realistic day-to-day option for me."

Jason saw an uptick in the pace of his shots, and hit his fastest forehand to date according to his Zenniz data. He said, "The increase in firepower compared to my own racquet (and even compared to the standard version) was noticeable. According to my Zenniz data, this VCORE 100+ is the only racquet I've hit a forehand over 80 mph with in 2026. The issue is controlling that power. I felt like I really had to be conscious about adding spin to my shots. It felt sluggish, and early preparation was key to not being late at contact. Luckily, with the open string pattern, I felt like spin was easily accessible." 

The VCORE 100+ 8th Gen surprised and delighted Brittany with how wieldable its power proved to be, all things considered. She described, "Having hit with previous generations of the VCORE 100+, and having just completed the playtests of the 8th Gen VCORE 98 and 100, I was actually surprised at how much I liked this racquet. Maybe it's because I had already gotten used to the launch angle, or maybe it's the beefier swingweight, but I didn't feel the VCORE 100+ was as flighty as the standard-length model. I still had plenty of power, but it was slightly more controlled. Speaking of swingweight, it is higher than I am used to, but I thought it played quicker than the stats indicated. I also hit my slices low and penetrating, which was great when I was on the defensive. I did need an adjustment period for the length (as with any extended length), especially on my backhand side, but I was able to be more confident and take some aggressive cuts after an hour or so. However, I will note that spin was not as easy to come by on groundstrokes, and I wasn't effective when hitting my sharp, short, angled groundstrokes."

When at the net, our playtesters definitely had to be conscious of the VCORE 100+'s length and swingweight, but they also appreciated the highly stable nature of the frame. Brittany especially enjoyed her time playing doubles with this racquet, and she taook advantage of the extra reach to improve her already impressive court coverage. She said, "I played with the VCORE 100+ in many different situations, and playing doubles was my favorite. The first reason was due to the extra reach, which made me feel like I could cover a little bit more court than normal. The second was the stability; the racquet was secure even when trying to return the hardest hit passing shots. Lastly, I really appreciated the Yonex feel, and I felt very connected to my shots. The racquet is less maneuverable than I’m used to, so I had to keep my hands in front and my strokes abbreviated, but I didn't feel like that hindered my play in any way." 

The VCORE 100+ provided Jason with great stability, but it asked a lot of him in terms of timing. He described, "It definitely felt a bit sluggish to get this VCORE 100+ into position, but when I did, the racquet felt great. It has a large, forgiving sweetspot and felt stable on off-center shots. I struggled the most was when I had to volley shots hit at my body."

The solid nature of the VCORE 100+ frame allowed Tiffani to absorb pace with ease, which helped her direct her shots. She explained, "This VCORE 100+ has a very solid feel at impact, and I enjoyed how stable it felt. It feels more stable than the VCORE 100 8th Gen even though the weights are the same. The extra length really makes a difference. On the flipside, I struggled with maneuverability at net. I needed to be one and done at net because I struggled to get this racquet out in front for reflex volleys." 

Chris had virtually no qualms with the VCORE 100+ 8th Gen at net, and he could mix up his shot selection to keep his opponents on their toes. He noted, "My volleys were working well with the VCORE 100+ 8th Gen. I liked that the racquet had ample stability, and that had me feeling relaxed. I was able to let the racquet do a lot of the work on my volleys. Generating depth was very easy, and I was able to hit tough, low volleys deep and just inside my opponent's baseline. I liked the grip I was getting from the stringbed, and I was able to carve some nice angle volleys too." 

As they expected, our playtesters greatly appreciated the VCORE 100+'s extra leverage on serve because it let them start points with authority. For Chris’ serve with the VCORE 100+ was tremendously effective, and he could either go for pace or spots to keep his opponents off guard. He explained, "We are fortunate enough to play on a Zenniz smart court, and I was seeing 4 to 6 mph more on my serves on the Zenniz net-side display. I was also getting lots of spin. My favorite serve to hit was a slice away from the returner, with a little kick to it. I managed to up both my service winners and weak returns with that serve. I was being very aggressive on second serves. I was able to give the net plenty of clearance and still get the ball way inside the box, which allowed me to stay on the gas more." 

Although Tiffani was able to tap into some increased power on serve, the VCORE 100+ proved to be unforgiving in the long run. She said, "Could I hit some bigger serves than I'm used to? Definitely. But if you ask me to do that for an extended length of time, I'm going to start missing the ball long a lot. It took me time to adjust how the racquet swung over my head. I had to consciously think about my swing to get it through the hitting zone on time. As I got tired, I just wasn't getting the snap I needed. I gave up some spin compared to the regular-length VCORE 100, but I did gain penetrating power from the longer version."

Jason's serving experience with the VCORE 100+ 8th Gen proved to be more of a mixed bag. He could blast some heavy first serves, but his overall consistency suffered a bit. He described, "I was really able to bring the heat on my serves with this VCORE 100+! I was hitting some of the biggest serves I've hit in quite some time with this racquet. However, my serving percentage did suffer a bit. On my second serves, I found I was missing long most of the time because it was tougher to snap my wrist and accelerate the racquet to get spin on my shots." 

Brittany welcomed the increase in power, but serving with the VCORE 100+ 8th Gen could be draining over time, causing her some concern over playing longer matches. She said, "I was hitting some heavy and powerful first serves with the VCORE 100+ 8th Gen that were landing deep in the service box. With just a little more effort to get the racquet over my head, I could flatten out my serve and get a couple more mphs than normal, which translated into a handful more free points a set. I could also hit some heavy slice into the body to jam my opponent. At the start of a singles match (and doubles, when I am only serving half the time), I was able to get my wrist rotating and hit some nice kick second serves. However, as a match wore on and I started to fatigue and get tight, it was easier to miss my second serve. I wasn't getting it to dip into the court, and a couple more double faults would pop up."

The VCORE 100+ 8th Gen's extra reach helped our team get more serves back in play, and the substantial power made their returns more effective. Brittany is well-equipped to evaluate a racquet for returns, and the VCORE 100+ 8th Gen let her apply pressure early, even against bigger serves. She explained, "The high swingweight helped keep some control on my returns. I made a conscious effort to use a more compact swing and let the racquet do most of the work. The stability allowed me to return a variety of serves with ease, and I was able to be aggressive from the first shot. I preferred returning over serving with the VCORE 100+ 8th Gen because I was able to stay on the offensive throughout the entire match. I even hit a couple of returns while fully stretched, and I was surprised that I not only got my racquet on the ball, but the returns landed deep in the court, allowing me to stay in a neutral position." 

Like his experience with serves, Jason's returns with the VCORE 100+ proved to be a mixed bag. He noted, "I found my returns to be a bit of a feast or famine situation — winners or errors. It was tough to control depth when teeing off on a serve return, but it was so much fun regardless. I was also having a harder time finding sharp angles with it because it’s not very whippy.”

Despite needing to be extra conscious of her swing path, Tiffani still found herself enjoying how the VCORE 100+ 8th Gen returned, provided she could get the racquet in position in time. She said, "Repeat after me: Keep it compact. Keep it compact. I repeated that to myself every time I stepped up to return a serve. I was not going to get this racquet around on time if I took too big of a backswing. Shorter swings provided plenty of depth and power, plus a comfortable, stable feel. I think due to my skill level, I was somewhat limited in my options on returns with this racquet, but I could still either chip the ball back or block it back deep."

Chris had a great experience returning with this VCORE 100+ 8th Gen because it allowed him to hit heavy and deep with ease, and to get to an extra ball if pulled wide. He described, "I had concerns going into this test that the VCORE 100+ 8th Gen might feel a little unwieldy on returns due to its longer length and resulting increase in swingweight. However, I found this racquet to feel very natural as the test wore on, and I didn't have any maneuverability issues. Again, the power, spin and stability of this racquet worked great. The VCORE 100+ 8th Gen felt pleasingly solid through contact, with effortless access to pace and depth."