The hard court swing kicks up a gear next week in D.C. – here's what we'll be watching! By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday, July 29, 2022
The Citi Open in Washington, D.C. will help kick the US Open Series into overdrive next week. It’s the first 500 event on hard courts for the men, and it features a star-studded cast that includes top-seeded Andrey Rublev, second-seeded Hubert Hurkacz, Andy Murray, Nick Kyrgios and Americans Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Reilly Opelka, Maxime Cressy, Sebastian Korda and Jenson Brooksby.
View the men’s draw here:
A 🌟 studded draw in the nation’s capitol 🇺🇸
Check out who your favorite men’s players will face in the #CitiOpen @atptour main draw! 🎾💙 pic.twitter.com/NFuSvA8baM
— Citi Open (@CitiOpen) July 29, 2022
There is also a women’s 250-level event that features former champion Jessica Pegula as well as Emma Raducanu, Simona Halep, plus American wild cards Sofia Kenin and Venus Williams.
View the women’s draw here:
👀 IT’S HERE 👀
The @WTA #CitiOpen draw has been made! See who your favorite women’s 🌟 will play as they return to Washington DC 🇺🇸🎾 pic.twitter.com/TlRsGgu9vh
— Citi Open (@CitiOpen) July 29, 2022
Men’s storylines and first-rounders
There are myriad storylines in play as the road to the US Open heats up in August.
1. Andy Murray is looking to get his ranking up so he can be seeded in New York. The Scot opens with Mikael Ymer of Sweden and would face Aslan Karatsev in the second round if he makes it there.
2. Nick Kyrgios, if healthy, will play his first singles since reaching the Wimbledon final. Will the Aussie be a factor on hard courts this summer? If healthy, he should be. He opens with a first-round match with Marcos Giron then would face No.14-seeded Tommy Paul.
3. Denis Shapovalov needs some positive results, and the Canadian, seeded sixth, will look to change the tone of his very average season in the second round (after a bye). Shapo vaes either JJ Wolf or a qualifier. It looks like the No.6 seed has a favorable draw, what can he do with it?
4. American anthem? It’s going to be a big summer for the Americans, and Taylor Fritz is the top dog at the moment. Seeded third in D.C., it will be interesting to see if Fritz can back up the form he showed at Indian Wells, where he broke through and won his first Masters 1000 title. The 24-year-old is 29-11 on the year, and has not played since his…
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