By Erik Gudris | Sunday, July 28, 2019
This week’s Citi Open features new fan offerings, a rising star and a surprise return by Andy Murray.
Photo credit: Citi Open Facebook
The Citi Open tournament in Washington, D.C. is starting a new chapter this week.
The event, began way back in 1969, has a new look, new management, new fan amenities, and new stars waiting for the die hard local tennis fans who support the event.
Watch: Kyrgios Taunts Djokovic
The combined ATP 500 and WTA International event is technically the fourth largest tennis tournament in the United States. While the U.S. Open, Indian Wells, and Miami certainly draw international attention and fans to their venues, D.C. hasn’t earned as much focus in recent years.
So much so, that there was the possibility the event might have been sold to outside investors in Europe or South America, thus continuing the trend of smaller U.S. based events leaving for elsewhere.
That didn’t happen though as investor Mark Ein, owner of the Washington Kastles, recently stepped in to assume management of the event in a new deal that also gives him the option to potentially take over ownership of the tournament in five years. Ein’s impact on this year’s event is noticeable already.
From the new, striking graphics wrapping around the main stadium, to a new market square food court featuring offerings by acclaimed chef José Andrés, and other new offerings the event is certainly giving fans a much welcomed change in how they enjoy the world-class tennis throughout the week.
And on top of that, fans have been treated to two unexpected, but also welcome additions to the player lineup.
Rising young phenom 15-year-old Cori “Coco” Gauff, who gained international attention by reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon is in D.C. Gauff became a last-minute addition to the women’s qualifying field where she hopes to make the singles main draw.
UPDATE: Gauff booked her spot in the main draw on Sunday with a 6-1 6-2 victory over Hiroko Kutawa of Japan. The American will face Zarina Diyas in first-round action on Tuesday (she's also in the doubles draw with Caty McNally and will be in action on Monday at the Citi Open).
In keeping with Ein’s push to elevate the tournament’s profile, the double’s draw will feature some marquee pairings, similar to those drawn up at Indian Wells and Miami.
Andy Murray made a surprise announcement that he will play doubles with his brother Jamie Murray. It’s a surprise given that Murray famously said last year he would not return to the event after having endured what he felt was bad scheduling by organizers that was complicated by numerous rain delays.
Another eye-opening doubles pairing is that of Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Both men are in the singles draw, with Tsitsipas as the top seed. But it’s rare to see both of these title contenders, with very, very different personalities, choose to play doubles together as well. While this pairing looks intriguing from a marketing standpoint, (sort of like having Ozzy Osbourne and Kenny G duet with each other), we’ll have to see just how entertaining this surprise duo actually ends up being on court.
From the surprise player additions, to all the new things happening on the grounds, this year’s Citi Open is certainly charting a new course for itself. And it’s a new direction that the organizers and the many local tennis fans the event serves both hope leads to adding new cherished memories and stories for this long running event.