The qualifying rounds are over and the main draw is set at this week’s Mubadala Citi DC Open. Held at the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park, the annual tournament features ATP and WTA pros and kicks off the North American hardcourt season, which culminates in the year’s final Grand Slam, the US Open. First-round matches begin on Monday, with the finals next weekend.
With over $2 million in prize money at stake and arguably the strongest player lineup in tournament history, competition should be stiff. Here’s who we have our eyes on:
The comeback kid
Defying retirement at the age of 45, Venus Williams is returning to competition for the first time in 16 months. The former world No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam champion is a surprise, last-minute wild card entry in the singles draw. “The community here that supports me so much, it’s like playing at home,” she told reporters on Sunday. Hard courts are Williams’ preferred surface and the legend says her goal is “to have fun and enjoy the moment, not put too much pressure on myself.”
The doubles bros
Hyattsville native Frances Tiafoe is back in the fray after reaching the tournament’s semifinals last year. “Everywhere I go, it’s like a long homecoming,” he said of the DC Open on Sunday. “A lot of, ‘I’m proud of you’ and ‘keep going’ and kids and stuff … just get bulldozed everywhere I go.” The two-time US Open semifinalist is still hunting his first Grand Slam title but has shown inconsistent form through the 2025 season.
Tiafoe is, however, also in the mix for the doubles title as he reignites his bromance with fellow American Ben Shelton, who reached the semifinals of this year’s Australian Open and is currently ranked No. 8 in the world. (He’s also dating Washington Sprit star Trinity Rodman, and is arguably the second-most accomplished athlete of the two). In singles play, Tiafoe and Shelton could face off in the quarterfinals.
The hometown girl
Hailey Baptiste grew up five minutes away from Rock Creek Park, earned her stripes at local tennis training centers and debuted on the women’s tour at the 2019 DC Open. She is a marquee player on the card this year, after career-best performances at Wimbledon and the French Open catapulted her into the WTA top 50. “There’s more eyes and people want me to do well but I just feel a lot of love mostly from my home crowd,” she tells Washingtonian. “My mind has been very calm and organized lately.”
Baptiste, 23, is being coached by Tiafoe’s twin brother Franklin, a childhood friend she considers a brother. “Her self-belief is growing,” says Coach Tiafoe. “She’s always had the game but now her mind’s partnered up with her physical abilities.” Does she have what it takes to win here? “Without a doubt.”
The great American hope
An American man has not won the US Open (or any of the other three majors) in more than two decades—but Taylor Fritz looks determined to snap that streak. The world No. 4 makes his fifth appearance in DC, where he is the top seed in the men’s draw and reached the tournament semifinal in 2023. Fritz competed in the finals at the 2024 US Open and he is fresh off a run to the semis at Wimbledon.
With a little help from a friend
If men’s tennis has become a two-horse race between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune insists he is hot on their heels. The Dane turned heads this weekend after he confirmed that he has spent the past three days training with Andre Agassi, the two-time US Open champion who won a record five DC Open titles. “I’ve never met a guy who sees the game this way,” Rune said in an interview. “I thought this was the right time to get some extra input.”
