The Mubadala Citi Open kicks off in earnest Monday with a star-studded lineup on the first day of main draw play.
From former World No.1s Viktoria Azarenka and Andy Murray to past DC champions Liudmila Samsonova, Sloane Stephens and Gael Monfils to local favorite Frances Tiafoe, fans will be treated to plenty of headliners on the first full day in Rock Creek Park.
The reigning women’s champion, Samsonova, begins her title defense in earnest at 12 p.m. on Stadium Court as she meets University of Virginia alum and 2021 Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins in the opening match of the tournament.
Samsonova suggested last week that she got chills when she first returned to Stadium Court and saw her name splashed on the awning of champions along with all the past DC winners. She will look to become the first back-to-back WTA champion in Washington since Magdalena Rybarikova successfully defended her title 10 years ago.
Monday’s primetime slate on Stadium Court kicks off with a blockbuster first-round match in the WTA draw as former World No.3 Elina Svitolina meets Azarenka in a rematch from their epic fourth-round showdown at Wimbledon just three weeks ago.
Svitolina prevailed in a third-set tiebreak en route to her third career semifinal appearance at a major. Svitolina and Azarenka are among the most decorated players in this year’s field with 38 singles titles between them.
Returning to DC for the first time six years, Monfils takes on American qualifier Bjorn Fratangelo in the nightcap on Stadium Court. Monfils captured the DC title in 2016 and was a finalist in 2011. He returns with a career record of 12-3 in Rock Creek Park.
Doubles takes center stage on Grandstand Monday afternoon with Tiafoe and partner Hubert Hurkacz taking on the all-American tandem of Christopher Eubanks and Sebastian Korda.
“Super excited to be back playing in front of the home crowd,” Tiafoe said Sunday. “Everyone knows what this tournament means to me, so it’s just an honor to be here and compete in front of everybody.”
More doubles follows on Grandstand with Murray and fellow-Brit Daniel Evans taking on the second-seeded tandem of Austin Krajicek and Mate Pavic.
Women’s doubles concludes the itinerary on Grandstand in a match that will feature the American tandem of Madison Keys and Jennifer Brady. This is Brady’s first WTA event since August 2021 (Cincinnati). She makes her long-awaited return after missing nearly two years on Tour with foot and knee injuries.
Other marquee matchups on Monday include 2021 men’s finalist Mackenzie McDonald facing former World No.8 Diego Schwartzman on Stadium Court (not before 4 p.m.).
Stephens faces American qualifier Lauren Davis in the third match of the day on John Harris Court.
BAPTISTE, FERNANDEZ AMONG HEADLINERS ADAVANCING TO MAIN DRAW
With plenty of hometown support on John Harris Court Sunday afternoon, DC native Hailey Baptiste held off Peyton Stearns 7-6, 6-2 to advance to the main draw of this year’s Mubadala Citi Open.
Baptiste was raised within walking distance of the Rock Creek Tennis Center on Kennedy Street and frequently attended the tournament as a fan. As a 17-year-old in 2019, Baptiste made her WTA debut in front of friends and family and earned her first career win with a first-round upset of Madison Keys.
Baptiste will face a stiff challenge in the first round this year, when she meets former World No.1 and two-time Grand Slam finalist Karolina Pliskova in an opening-round match on Tuesday.
Canadian Leyla Fernandez also punched her ticket into the main draw Sunday with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Katie Boulter. Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist, will face American Bernarda Pera in a first-round match Tuesday.
Polish World No.79 Magdalena Frech rallied from a 4-1 first-set deficit and beat DC’s Clervie Ngounoue 7-6, 7-5 in a grueling two-setter that last two hours and 14 minutes. Frech advances to face 2020 Sofia Kenin on Tuesday.
Despite the defeat on Stadium Court, Ngounoue impressed in her first weekend in her hometown tournament. Tournament chairman Mark Ein extended a wild card invite to Ngounoue and Alycia Parks for this week’s doubles draw.
On the men’s side, Americans Bradley Klahn, Bjorn Fratangelo and Zachary Svajda all qualified for the main draw. Juncheng Shang also advanced with 7-6, 6-2 win over Virginia alum Thai-Son Kwiatkowski.
WTA DOUBLES DRAW REVEALED
The WTA doubles draw was also released Sunday afternoon with both established tandems and unique partnerships making up the 16-team field.
A trio of all-American teams are sprinkled throughout the draw including Madison Keys and Jennifer Brady, Sloane Stephens and DC native Hailey Baptiste plus the wild card duo of Alycia Parks and Clervie Ngounoue.
Ngounoue fell in the final round of qualifying for the singles draw, but the doubles wild card allows the 17-year-old DC native to make her WTA main draw debut here at her hometown tournament.
The doubles draw is anchored by No.1 seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez and the second-seeded tandem of Gabriela Dabrowski and Shuko Aoyama. Dabrowski and Aoyama won their own title as a tandem here in DC in 2014.
