Mubadala Citi DC Open to feature Coco Gauff, Frances Tiafoe, Nick Kyrgios
If part of the aim of merging Washington’s Citi Open with the San Jose-based Silicon Valley Classic this year was to give D.C.’s hard-court classic a boost, well, consider that mission complete.
Seven top-10 players will shirk their concerns for trivial things such as heat and humidity to descend on Washington this summer for the inaugural DC Open. Past Grand Slam champions, former title winners in Washington and fan favorites including Frances Tiafoe and Nick Kyrgios are set to play at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center from July 29 to Aug. 6.
Four women ranked in the top 10 are committed to play in what is now a WTA 500-level tournament: No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 5 Caroline Garcia, No. 6 Coco Gauff and No. 9 Daria Kasatkina. Pegula and Gauff will be familiar to fans as former winners — Pegula won her first career title in Washington in 2019, and Gauff captured the doubles crown the same year.
Garcia last played the event in 2013. Kasatkina will play for the first time in Washington but technically is the tournament’s defending champion — she won the event in San Jose last year.
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Three top-10 men’s players are slated to take part: No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion; No. 8 Taylor Fritz, the highest-ranked American; and No. 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime. Andy Murray, whose three Grand Slam trophies dwarf his No. 43 ranking, is committed to return as well.
“To have such a star-studded and deep player field I think is a real testament to the passion of our tennis community in town and how much they supported the event and how much the event’s become a very hot stop on both the ATP and WTA tours,” tournament chair Mark Ein said.
D.C. tennis fans also will have the chance to cheer No. 26 Kyrgios, who roared to the singles and doubles titles in Washington last year, and Maryland native Tiafoe, ranked 12th, who captured the second ATP title of his career this season after an electric run to the U.S. Open semifinals in 2022.
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No. 29 Grigor Dimitrov and 2016 Washington champion Gael Monfils round out the commitments on the men’s side. In the women’s event, two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka will join a pair of players who made runs at this year’s French Open: No. 30 Sloane Stephens and Elina Svitolina. More player commitments are slated to be announced as the tournament gets closer.
“There are so many fantastic stories in tennis, and fans have come to know these players and follow them,” Ein said. “... We just also love to have fan favorites. So to have Coco and Frances and Gael and Kyrgios — a lot of them have top rankings, but they’re also the players people love to come watch.”
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