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Tennis action will shift to Washington DC for the 53rd edition of the Citi Open, the first ATP 500 event of the US hardcourt swing. The tournament is scheduled to be played in the capital city of the United States between August 1 – 7.
In the absence of defending champion Jannik Sinner, World No. 8 Andrey Rublev leads the line-up alongside Taylor Fritz — who will be among the several Americans looking to make an impact this week. Add the likes of Hubert Hurkacz, Grigor Dimitrov and Karen Khachanov to the mix and you have a jam-packed field.
What is the Citi Open?
Co-founded by tennis legend Arthur Ashe, along with Donald Dell and John Harris in 1969, the Citi Open is one of the oldest tournaments on the ATP tour, while also being the fourth-longest running pro tennis tournament in the US. Ashe was instrumental in picking the location — Rock Creek Park in Washington DC.
American Andre Agassi has the most Citi Open titles, having taken five consecutive wins in 1990-91, in addition to 1995 and 1998-99. Other champions include Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Andy Roddick, Juan Martín del Potro among many others.
Venue
The Citi Open will be held on the outdoor hardcourts of Rock Creek Park in Washington DC, a venue that has hosted the tournament since the inaugural edition back in 1969.
Players
Top seed Andrey Rublev finds himself in a section crowded with home favorites. Possible second and third-round matches against Stefan Kozlov and Maxime Cressy make for tricky early rounds.
Denis Shapovalov and Holger Rune are the other seeded players in Rublev's quarter and could clash in the third round.
Taylor Fritz, the top-ranked American, has also landed in the top half of the draw. He will be expecting some stiff resistance from the likes of Karen Khachanov, Alex de Minaur, Jenson Brooksby and Dan Evans in his section.
The big-serving duo of Reilly Opelka and Hubert Hurkacz anchor the bottom half of the draw. The American could run into countryman Tommy Paul as early as the third round, with a possible quarterfinal against either Frances Tiafoe or Botic van de Zandschlup looming next.
For Hurkacz, the path is similarly precarious. The American will need to maneuver a section comprising the likes of Andy Murray, Aslam Karatsev and Grigor Dimitrov to make the last four.
Schedule
The qualifying matches for the Citi Open 2022 are scheduled for July 30 – 31. Main draw matches will commence on Monday, August 1 at 11 am local time, while the summit clash of the tournament is scheduled for Sunday, August 7.
Prize Money
The total financial commitment for this year's edition is $2,108,110, while the prize money on offer is $1,953,285. The winner will take home a cheque of $33,200 and 280 ranking points.
Where to watch
Viewers in the US, UK, and Canada can catch all the action from the Citi Open live on the following channels and sites:
USA: All matches will be broadcast on Tennis Channel.
UK: All matches will be telecast on Amazon Prime Video.
Canada: Viewers in Canada can watch all the matches on TS.
