KSwiss Hypercourt 2.0 Men's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.4

The TW playtesters all agreed that the KSwiss Hypercourt 2.0s were extremely comfortable from the start of the playtest to the end. Chris was impressed with the comfort offered from these shoes. He started, "I really liked the feel of the Hypercourt 2.0s. The redesigned upper reminded me of the Hypercourt Express line, which I'm a big fan of. The Hypercourts 2.0s didn't require any break in to be comfortable, but they definitely became even more comfortable after a few hours of wear. I liked the level of cushioning and felt well protected from the pounding of hard court play. The shoes breathed well, and my feet never ran hot. I also liked the level of arch support. The fit through the arch was a little low for me, but more importantly, the midfoot shank offered ample protection to keep me moving confidently."

"The Hypercourt 2.0s fit somewhat on the snug side the first time I tried them on," said Troy. "In comparison to the KSwiss Bigshot Light 3s, which I just finished playtesting, these KSwiss Hypercourt 2.0 shoes run shorter in length. When I wore the Bigshot Light 3s I had to go down a half-size due to the extra length, whereas with these Hypercourt 2.0 shoes I found a snug fit in my usual size 10. The cushioning in the midsole of these KSwiss Hypercourt 2.0s provided a decent amount of padding between the bottom of my feet and the court. I was surprised at the amount of cushioning that these shoes provided. Typically with low-to-the-ground shoes such as these there is a lack of midsole cushioning. The upper material provided a good amount of ventilation. These shoes kept my feet cool, even during a few hot summer days while playing outdoors. I found the arch support to be pretty average. The only knock I had for comfort was that during the break-in period the cage-like material above my toes was a bit rigid, and it put some unwanted pressure on top of my big toe nails. The upper material softened up after about 3-5 hours of wear and contoured to my feet with good comfort."

Mark had a hard time taking these shoes off. He praised, "Just adjusting the laces of the new Hypercourt 2.0s gave me the feeling that these were highly refined, detail-oriented and comfortable shoes. From my first wear, almost 40 tennis playing hours ago, all the way to the end of this playtest, these Hypercourt 2.0s exhibited a high level of comfort for my feet. That comfort translated into me feeling less beat up overall after long matches/hitting sessions. I often wore the Hypercourt 2.0s off the court because they were so comfortable."

Granville had to make a size adjustment to get the right fit. He described, "These shoes seem to run about a half-size small, so I moved up into a size 11. These are exceedingly comfortable shoes with excellent cushioning in the midsole. A fairly substantial insole further added to the comfort. The mesh cover felt breathable and comfortable over the top of the toe box. A very slight arch support was apparent, which puts it ahead of just about any shoes I've worn. They are very comfortable shoes, and I looked forward to putting them on every time I hit the court."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.9

The Hypercourt 2.0s provided a stable ride even for our most aggressive playtesters. Granville was able to move with confidence. He commented, "These were stable shoes so I didn't use ankle braces, yet they remained very supple on the court. They may be just a bit roomy in the forefoot (I have slightly narrower feet), so I'm guessing it would be just about right for the masses. I didn't slip around inside the toe box once I tightened up the laces a bit."

"The Hypercourt 2.0s felt a little wider than the first version," added Chris. "I have narrow feet, so the previous version fit me more securely. Still, I was able to get a fairly locked in feel from these shoes. I liked the lateral stability and the uppers felt supportive during the entire test. The mix of flex and stability felt spot on. There was enough flex to keep me feeling fast and agile, while the stability was there to protect my feet."

The amount of support these shoes provided was better than average for Troy. He noted, "I enjoyed how well these shoes locked in my feet. The lacing system allowed me to cinch the uppers tightly to keep my feet secure. The Textile Collar Lining helped grip my heels to keep them from sliding out the back of these shoes. This lining was a bit abrasive on socks, especially cotton based ones, but was good for performance. The longer I played in these shoes the more they softened up. When they became very flexible the lateral stability of these shoes wasn't quite as good as the foot support. The low-to-the-ground feel in the forefoot helped the lateral support play up to my standards even though the midfoot shank was minimal. The KSwiss Bigshot Light 3s, which were lighter than these shoes, had a much sturdier midfoot shank. The addition of my orange Superfeet Premium Insoles helped to bring some rigidity to the midfoot/arch region of these shoes. This also helped boost the lateral support."

Mark thoroughly enjoyed the support and stability he received. He offered, "There is definitely a correlation between comfort and support. KSwiss is known to make some pretty comfort-oriented tennis shoes, and for me, KSwiss' new Hypercourt 2.0s favorably tie together a high degree of lateral support and overall foot stability with that high level of comfort. After more than 40 hours of hard court play the uppers of the Hypercourt 2.0s have held their shape and supportiveness."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.7

The TW playtesters found average to above average durability after playtesting the KSwiss Hypercourt 2.0s for four weeks. While Mark isn't the hardest on his shoes, he still put the Hypercourt 2.0s to the test. He remarked, "For high performance tennis shoes that don't include a sole warranty, the Hypercourt 2.0s are a durable choice for me. I'm an aging player, and I typically go through the tread of a sole warranty shoe in approximately three months. I've been playing in the Hypercourt 2.0s for almost two months and they still have a good bit of life left in them."

Granville had to really examine his shoes for signs of excess or unusual wear. He reported, "There was very little wear! I have to say that this seems to be the 'stickiest' outsole traction I've seen in recent memory. I thought I would see signs of excessive wear, but I see nothing unusual. The Hypercourt 2.0s seem to have better durability than most of the shoes I've playtested!"

On the other hand, Chris was able to see some smoothing in high wear areas. He critiqued, "The Hypercourt 2.0s aren't the most durable KSwiss shoes I've worn, but they're also not the worst. I saw plenty of wear on the outsole under the big toe of my right foot, and the top of the toe area on the left shoe took a bit of a beating. Those are my two highest wear areas so I expect to see some damage there. The shoes held up in both of those locations, and although I didn't see as much durability as the most durable offerings (such as the adidas Barricade 17s), the shoes lasted through the playtest."

Troy agreed with Chris. He stated, "The outsole durability of these KSwiss Hypercourt 2.0s was average compared to most shoes I have playtested. They aren't quite as durable as the Asics Gel Resolution 7 and adidas Barricade 17 BOOST shoes, which are about the same weight. My high wear areas under the balls of my feet and around my toes wore down a bit faster than I would have liked. The durability was decent for low-to-the-ground shoes, but not quite where I would like it for shoes that aren't backed by a six-month durability guarantee. The outsole durability was similar to the durability of the adidas adizero Ubersonic 2 shoes. The downside is that the adidas adizero Ubersonic 2 shoes are lighter and faster than the Hypercourt 2.0s, with similar stability."

Traction - Score: 4.4

Our playtesters agreed that the traction of the Hypercourt 2.0s was on the grippy side, yet it had some give when needed. Finding the perfect combination of give and grip was Troy. He complimented, "I really enjoyed the court feel that these shoes provided, and they have what feels like an overly sticky outsole. Whenever I needed to come to a sudden stop I had ample traction to do it. I found the traction of the Bigshot Light 3s too sticky right out of the box. The outsoles of the Hypercourt 2.0s provided the right blend of grab and give right out of the box. The bottoms of these shoes are a bit flatter than most, and this helped to create more surface area in contact with the court. They reminded me of the feel I had with the Nike Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tours and the old Nike Air Courtballistec 2.3s."

"This was yet another favorable trait of the Hypercourt 2.0s," raved Mark. "The traction on every hard court I played on was predictable. In other words, they provided me with the proper level of grip versus slip. I prefer tennis shoes that allow me to slide just a little to make switching directions safer and less tiresome, and that's precisely what I experienced while testing the Hypercourt 2.0s."

Finding more grip than give was Granville. He said, "These are very sticky shoes on the court. I had no sliding in these shoes, ever! I can push off without any slipping, which may be worth a half-step for this 58-year-old playtester!"

Chris liked the level of grip he found in these shoes. He said, "I was able to sprint around the court at full speed and not have to worry about sliding too much. On starts and stops the shoes gripped when needed, yet I was also able to get enough give from them to transition smoothly into my next step. Side to side movement also proved worry free, and there was just enough give to let me comfortably slide out of a shot. It felt like the flex I was getting from the shoes helped in this department, too. It felt like I was getting a solid contact patch between the outsole and court, which gave me a hooked up feel when I was looking to push off aggressively."

Weight - Score: 4.1

The light weight of the KSwiss Hypercourt 2.0s allowed the playtesters to focus on their tennis instead of their shoes. Chris thought KSwiss did a great job of distributing the weight throughout the shoes. He observed, "The Hypercourt 2.0s felt light and fast on court. The shoes flexed and moved well with my feet, so I was able to just forget about them and focus on playing, which is a sign the shoes were working well for me. Whatever weight was built into the shoes felt well hidden, and I felt like I could move at full speed in them."

Unlike the Bigshot Light 3s, these Hypercourt 2.0s felt lighter than the number on the scale would indicate for Troy. He compared, "These Hypercourt 2.0s (14.9 oz, size 10.5) felt lighter and faster than the Bigshot Light 3s, which weighed 13.6 oz (size 10.5). I found that I could shuffle my feet and transition my steps without feeling as if these shoes slowed me down. Because these shoes contoured to my feet and flexed well as I moved, I found them light and fast on court. The fit and flex of these shoes reminded of the Head Nitro Team shoes, although these Hypercourt 2.0s are 2 oz heavier."

"Numerically, I consider a 14.9 oz weight for high performance tennis shoes (size 10.5) to be pretty light," explained Mark. "Although weight is an good indicator, it doesn't always tell the entire story of whether a shoe will feel heavy during play. As with all the other aspects of the Hypercourt 2.0s, the overall weight of these shoes allowed me to chase down the ball with the exuberance of a Golden Retriever without ever feeling like their weight was anything other than a benefit."

Having no complaints, Granville concluded, "These shoes look substantial (and are in so many ways), but not when it comes to weight. Under 15 oz is right in my sweetspot, and it lets me think more about my racquet than my shoes. The Hypercourt 2.0s seem to be a lot of shoe for what is now the mid-price range. Thumbs up."

Overall - Score: 4.1