Three top-10 players from both the men’s and women’s tour have taken wild cards into the upcoming Citi Open in Washington.
French Open finalist Simona Halep is set to be the top seed in the women’s draw. The world No.2 will play in the tournament for the first time in her career and be bidding to win her third title in North America after Indian Wells (2015) and Montreal (2016). Joining Halep in the draw will be former champion Sloane Stephens. The American recently returned to the tour after almost a year at the Wimbledon Championships following a lengthy absence due to a left foot injury.
Milos Raonic will grace his presence in the men’s section. It will be his first appearance at the tournament since he lifted the title in 2014. Four out of Raonic’s eight ATP titles have been won on American hard courts.
World No.10 Grigor Dimitrov is another wildcard entrant into the tournament. He will join Kei Nishikori and Dominic Thiem as well as Raonic in the draw. It will be his fifth appearance in Washington and his third in a row. Dimitrov best result so far was reaching the quarter-finals in 2013.
The quartet of high-profile wild cards has been welcomed by American investment banking company Citi, the sponsor of the tournament. Chief Brand Officer Dermot Boden has hailed the star-studded field as an opportunity to promote tennis education in the American capital.
“As the title sponsor of the Citi Open, we are thrilled to see such an exciting and competitive field take shape in both the women’s and men’s events,” said Boden. “In addition to bringing world-class tennis to Washington, D.C., these quality players will draw more attention to the tournament, which means greater awareness and fundraising for the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation, allowing us to help expand the WTEF programs to give children in Washington, D.C. a safe place to build their future.”
This year’s Citi Open will take place between July 31st – August 6th at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center. It will be the 49th edition of the men’s tournament and the seventh for the women. The current champions are Gael Monfils and Yanina Wickmayer.
