By Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Saturday, July 29, 2023
Americans on both the ATP and WTA tours will hope to have a great week in Washington DC at the newly combined ATP/WTA 500 Mubadala Citi DC Open.
Fritz, Tiafoe, and More Americans Hope to Make History in DC
On the ATP side, several American men will set their sights on becoming the first U.S. man to win the singles title since Andy Roddick in 2007.
Current World No. 9 Taylor Fritz enters as this year’s top seed. He could potentially face three-time major champion Andy Murray in the third round. Fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz, sixth seed Alexander Bublik, and the eleventh seed Chris Eubanks are also in this section.
Someone very much hoping to win this title is local favorite and No. 2 seed Frances Tiafoe.
The 25-year-old Hyattsville, Maryland native is the No. 2 seed this year. Tiafoe could potentially another fellow American No. 14 seed Ben Shelton in the third round.
Also in this section are No. 3 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada and No. 8 seed Sebastian Korda of the U.S.
Last year’s men’s champion Nick Kyrgios, who won in singles and doubles, withdrew from this year’s event due to injury.
WTA Event Packed with Big Name Stars and Former Major Winners
With the tournament now combining with last year’s Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic WTA 500 event, more big name WTA players are in the DC draw this year.
Top seed and 2019 champion Jessica Pegula is hoping to return to the winner’s circle again. Yet, she could face a tough second round in a potential meeting with former Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin.
Also in this section is a blockbuster opening round between recent Wimbledon semifinalist Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and Victoria Azarenka. Their spectacular fourth round battle at Wimbledon a few weeks ago was marred after the match when fans booed Azarenka as she walked off the court, due to Svitolina’s continued policy of not shaking hands with either Russian or Belarusian players due to ongoing conflict in her nation.
No. 2 seed Caroline Garcia of France will get tested early as she will face in the second round either former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu or Marta Kostyuk. Defending DC champion and No. 8 seed Liudmila Samsonova is also in this section. She will face in her opening round wildcard Danielle Collins.
No. 3 seed Coco Gauff and No. 4 seed Maria Sakkari round out the top four seeds.
Main draw matches will begin on Monday July 31.
Photo Credit: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA