Yonex VCORE Si 100 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 81

Our playtesters felt that maneuverability and spin potential were the two standout features of the VCORE Si 100 from the baseline. This racquet was easy to swing, which made it easy to generate lots of topspin on our groundstrokes. Brittany enjoyed the maneuverability, but she prefers her own Yonex racquet because it has a more forgiving feel. She explained, "I'm a big fan of Yonex racquets. I'm currently using the EZONE Ai 100, and I used to use the VCORE 100 S, so I was super excited to get on the court with this update. I might have had too high of hopes, however, because the VCORE Si 100 didn't quite live up to my expectations. Like the other Yonex racquets I have hit with, it took me about a week to adjust to the VCORE Si 100, and the more I hit with it the more I liked it. Like the previous VCORE racquets, there is plenty of power from the baseline, especially when I was hitting in the sweetspot. I did notice a drop in power outside of the sweetspot. The VCORE Si 100 was significantly easier to maneuver than the EZONE Ai 100. I was able to create enough spin to keep the ball in the court or angle it short off the court. I found the feel to be much stiffer than I expected, and I personally prefer the feel of the EZONE."

Jason also plays with the EZONE Ai 100, so it was no surprise that they shared a similar opinion on the VCORE Si 100. He said, "This racquet felt quicker and more maneuverable than my current racquet, the Yonex EZONE Ai 100, which has similar specs. Not only was I able to hit with lots of spin, but I was also finding some nice angles. I did notice that there wasn't as much power as I'm used to. The sweetspot felt a bit smaller and off-center shots were more noticeable. I also wasn't getting the depth on my shots that I get with the Ai 100."

Tiffani found the VCORE Si 100 easy to use, but she also struggled with the stiff feel, especially when making contact outside the sweetspot. She offered, "The Si 100 was an easy transition for me. It was pretty easy to swing and offered good power and excellent spin off the ground. I was hitting good topspin, and after a bit of an adjustment from a Wilson Spin Effect racquet, I found my range with my slice shots, too. It felt really great when I stepped into the court and hit backhand winners cross court, and that's when I felt most connected to this new VCORE. I struggled somewhat with the feel. The VCORE Si 100 feels stiffer than the previous VCORE 100s (the S and Xi) and the EZONE Ai 100, especially outside of the sweetspot. I also haven't used a dampener for quite some time, but I preferred the sound of the ball off the stringbed of the Si 100 with a dampener installed."

As the playtest wore on Chris started using the racquet's excellent spin potential to his advantage, but he struggled to produce a heavy ball that would penetrate through the court. He said, "Out of the two VCORE Si introductions, this one is by far the more forgiving racquet. Compared to the VCORE Si 98, this 100 square inch version has a much larger sweetspot. I found the comfort to be improved in this racquet, as the stringbed felt like it had more room to breathe. I liked the control I found on all of my shots. It was very hard to overhit with this racquet -- even when strung with a more powerful multifilament string. The downside to the lower powered response was that my shots could sit up a little. I found it harder than usual to hit through the court with this racquet. After I discovered I wasn't going to blow opponents away, I focused more on control and placement. I played very successfully with that tactic with the VCORE Si 100. I was generating good spin, but that was due more to the fast feel of the racquet and the easy access to rapid tip speed."

Volleys - Score: 79

Once again, the maneuverability of the VCORE Si 100 was most apparent to our playtesters up at net, and they all found it easy to get it into position and punch away volleys and overheads. However, a couple of the testers would have preferred a little more heft for better stability and forgiveness. One of these players was Jason, who said, "Up at net I always appreciate a more stable and forgiving racquet because I'm not the cleanest volleyer, and this racquet didn't necessarily do me any favors. There was a significant drop in power if I wasn't able to hit the volley cleanly in the sweetspot. However, I thought hitting overheads was easy thanks to the low swingweight. I would add some weight at 3 and 9 o'clock to help fix the stability issue."

Chris found the feel to be clean and responsive, but like Jason, he felt a little weight added to the hoop would have improved performance. He explained, "I played several sets of doubles with this racquet during the month-long test. Whenever I had it in my hands I felt fast and was able to react quickly. The racquet felt very clean and crisp in its response. Thanks to that clean feel I always had a strong sense of where my shots were heading. When I was on top of the net I was punching away volleys, and I enjoyed being aggressive with this racquet. I would have liked a tad more weight on defensive volleys, but that's an easy fix. All in all, I thought this one felt pretty good in stock form."

Tiffani felt comfortable up at net. She said, "This racquet hit all the right notes for me at net. It had enough maneuverability and power for me since I tend to punch my volleys away and I don't try anything fancy. I did find the power and feel to drop off significantly outside the sweetspot, however."

Enjoying the racquet the most out of all our players was Brittany, who used the crisp, fast feel to volley effectively. She raved, "While the stiffer feel wasn't my favorite from the baseline, I much preferred it up at net. With the great maneuverability I could get this racquet into position, close tightly on the net and plow the volley deep in the court to end the point. It was great for quick reflex volleys, and I didn't have any issues with stability."

Serves - Score: 80

The ample spin potential translated into excellent control for our team when they were serving with the VCORE Si 100. Chris was locating his serves great, but with less power than he would have liked. He said, "Great consistency, but not much court penetration was the story on my serve with this racquet. I could hit my targets without issue, I was swinging with venom and I was getting good spin, but I wasn't able to get enough mustard on my serves to hurt my opponents. As with groundstrokes, I concentrated on placement, as well as varied spin and pace, to keep opponents guessing. Even then, I occasionally would let a serve go too close to my opponent's strike zone and the way the ball sat up just left it hanging for immediate dispatch."

Echoing Chris' sentiments was Jason, who said, "Even though I wasn't hitting my serves with as much power as I do with my Ai 100, the good spin kept me in a somewhat offensive position. My opponents couldn't just sit back and tee off on my serve. I also felt like I could place the ball really well, so thumbs up for directional control!"

Also serving effectively was Tiffani, who offered, "I felt like I was serving well throughout this playtest. I could hit decent spin, and there was some nice power. The spin was not quite the same as what I got from the Spin Effect racquet I just finished playtesting, but it was good for a racquet with a standard string pattern. I also didn't have any of the issues with the stiff feel that I had on groundstrokes."

Like the others, Brittany was using variety and precision to hurt her opponents on serve. She said, "Due to a minor shoulder injury I wasn't able to go full force when serving. However, with most serves hit at 75 percent (basically second serve speed), I was able to get a good feel for the racquet. I felt very comfortable hitting kick second serves for both my first and second serves when playing a set. My serve was still effective and I could hold serve with ease. Additionally, I was able to mix up my serve on the deuce side and go for some slice serves out wide."

Serve Returns - Score: 83

The service return proved to be our team's favorite shot with the VCORE Si 100. Its fast and forgiving feel allowed our testers to be aggressive and confident during their return games. Singing its praises was Tiffani, who said, "I really enjoyed returning serves with this racquet. The VCORE Si 100 urged me be a little more aggressive on returns than I usually am because I could direct my returns to where I wanted with good pace. This racquet held up to bigger serves, too. This was my favorite shot with this racquet."

Having a similar experience was Chris, who said, "I felt much more aggressive when returning with this racquet than I did when serving. I was able to use the pace of the incoming serve to hit a bigger shot. I also found the light and fast feel to work well. I could get the racquet prepped quickly, and that opened up more options on what type of return I wanted to hit. Consequently, everything was working. I was finding great spin and control on both topspin and slice returns. I had no issues finding my targets and could roll an angle or rip a deep return almost at will."

This racquet had the recipe for success for Jason's returns. He praised, "Lots of spin and a fast response equals good returns. With the Si 100 in hand, I enjoyed hitting returns. I liked how quick and mobile it was. I could get the racquet into position, even when I didn't have as much time to react on harder hit first serves. I still would've preferred a little more power when I sliced a return or blocked it back because those shots tended to land shorter than I wanted."

Rounding out the impressed crew was Brittany, who reiterated, "Maneuverability made returns very easy to hit with this racquet. I loved being able to step inside the baseline, quickly take my racquet back and take a good cut at the ball. Whether it was a first or second serve, I was very comfortable being aggressive right from the start. I also felt very comfortable aiming wherever I wanted, and I could start the point on the offensive."

Overall - Score: 80

Scores

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

Playtester Profiles

Chris: 4.5 all-court player currently using the Wilson Six.One 95S. Chris uses a full-western forehand grip, has a fast swing style and hits a one-handed backhand.

Jason: 4.0 baseliner with a semi-western forehand and two handed backhand. Currently using a Yonex EZONE Ai 100

Tiffani: 4.0 level baseliner with a semi-western grip on the forehand and hits a two-handed backhand. Currently playing with the Donnay Formula 100.

Brittany: Open level player with a semi-western forehand and a two-handed backhand. She currently plays with the Yonex EZONE Ai 100.

Review date: October 2014. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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