New, dual-gender Mubadala Citi DC Open leads week of five summer events

WATCH: Taylor Fritz will arrive in D.C. next week having won the title in Atlanta.

As the tennis season moves from first half to second half, clay slowly gives way to hard courts for the final time. It takes a while: Last week there were more tournaments on dirt than there were on asphalt; this week the opposite is true. But the transition isn’t quite complete: The men make their last stand on clay in Kitzbuhel.

Still, the main event, the Mubadala Citi DC Open, is solidly on hard courts. It’s a dual-gender 500-level tournament headlined by four Top 10 Americans. It’s also the next, and so far highest, step on the road to the US Open. We’re at one month and counting.

Mubadala Citi DC Open (ATP)

• Washington, D.C.
• $2,178,980; ATP 500
• Hard court
• Draw is here

The Citi Open has traditionally drawn an international cast of characters who want to get ready for the two Masters events that immediately follow it in Canada and Cincinnati. Recent winners have included Nick Kyrgios, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Gael Monfils. The last American man to win the title in the nation’s capital was Andy Roddick back in 2007.

This year’s 48-player men’s draw is more U.S.-centric, particularly among the seeds, which may reflect the improved state of the game in the States. Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe are No. 1 and 2, while Sebastian Korda, Chris Eubanks, Ben Shelton, and J.J. Wolf are Nos. 6, 11, 14, and 16, respectively.

Fritz is coming off a title run in Atlanta; he might face the man he beat in the final there, Alexander Vukic, in the early going. Eubanks will try to shake off his own error-filled loss to Vukic last week and reclaim some of his Wimbledon momentum. Tiafoe, the hometown favorite, could face off against Shelton in the third round.

Wild cards to watch: 33-year-old Kei Nishikori and 37-year-old Kevin Anderson. Nishikori won the title in D.C. in 2015; Anderson was runner-up in 2017.

Mubadala Citi DC Open (WTA)

• Washington, D.C.
• $780,637; WTA 500
• Hard court
• Draw is here

If you’re wondering what happened to the Silicon Valley Classic, a stalwart of the WTA summer in Northern California since 1971, this is where it has moved. The tournament, sponsored last year by the Mubadala Investment Company of Abu Dhabi, has headed east to join the ATP event in D.C. The ranking points are the same as the men’s—500—but the draw and the purse aren’t. There are 28 women playing for $780,627, compared to 48 men going after more than $2.1 million.

This field, like the men’s, is led by the top two Americans. Jessica Pegula is the No. 1 seed, and her doubles partner, Coco Gauff, is No. 3. Pegula could match up against another countrywoman, Sofia Kenin, in her opening round.

First-round matches to watch:

• Elina Svitolina vs. Victoria Azarenka. If it’s half as good as their Wimbledon fourth-rounder, it will be a must-see.
• Madison Keys vs. Zheng Qinwen
• Belina Bencic vs. Anastasia Potapova

Returning, after more than two years away: Jennifer Brady. She’ll start against Anhelina Kalinina.

Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel (ATP)

• Los Cabos, Mexico
• $946,975; ATP 250
• Hard court
• Draw is here

D.C. isn’t the only hard-court tournament in North America this week. There’s one in Los Cabos, Mexico, too, and for a 250 with under a million in prize money, it has a decent draw. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Cameron Norrie, Tommy Paul, Borna Coric, Alex De Minaur and Nicolas Jarry are the Top 6 seeds.

Generali Open (ATP)

• Kitzbuhel, Austria
• $695,000; ATP 250
• Red clay
• Draw is here

Fans of clay-court tennis beware: Outside, perhaps, of Davis Cup, this is your last chance to see the men play on the surface in 2023. That said, you’ll have to make do with a draw that doesn’t include anyone in the Top 30. Tomas Martin Etcheverry, No. 34 in the world, is the first seed, followed by Yannick Hanfmann. Both men have risen in the rankings in 2023, and the 24-year-old Etcheverry, of Argentina, looks like a future threat on dirt.

Also here: Dominic Thiem, Umag champ Alexei Popyrin, and Hamburg runner-up Laslo Djere

Livesport Prague Open (WTA)

• Prague
• $259,303; WTA 250
• Hard court
• Draw is here

Rounding out the week is this hard-court WTA 250 in Prague. The Czech Republic’s own Marie Bouzkova is the top seed. No. 2 Zhu Lin will open against Yanina Wickmayer, who was impressive in her semifinal loss to Iga Swiatek last week in Warsaw.