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| Australian Open semi-finalist Sloane Stephens |
From our friends at the Citi Open...
Sloane Stephens, the rising American tennis phenomenon who is currently ranked at No. 17 in the world, returns to Washington this summer to compete at the Citi Open.
The 20-year-old sensation will bring her aggressive, hard-hitting, backcourt play to the 45-year-old Washington tennis tradition from July 27 – August 4 at the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park. Seeded third, Stephens advanced to the semifinals during the Citi Open last year. She is returning to the Washington hard courts this summer with hopes of improving on that performance and winning the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) International Level tournament title.
"I enjoyed playing at the Citi Open last year. I think I played some of my best matches there," Stephens said. "The fans were incredibly supportive and enthusiastic, and I look forward to coming back and hopefully winning the title."
Stephens’ was the talk of the sports world earlier this year when she triumphed over Serena Williams and reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in January. Her incredible run in Melbourne pushed her to a new career high singles ranking of World No. 17, making her the youngest player in the WTA Top 20. Her breakthrough year on the WTA tour in 2011 propelled her to a then career high No. 89 in the world, making her the youngest player to be ranked as one of the WTA Top 100. She is currently the youngest woman in the WTA Top 50.
The Citi Open is one of only 11 ATP World Tour 500-level events worldwide and the only one in the United States. It is recognized by the ATP World Tour as one of the top 20 tournaments in the world. The Citi Open is also a part of the prestigious Emirates Airline US Open Series, the five-week summer tennis season that links nine North American hard-court tournaments to the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open.
The Citi Open also includes a WTA International Level tournament, which provides fans the opportunity to watch simultaneous competitions of both world-class men’s and women’s tennis throughout the nine-day event. The tournament features 48 men’s singles players and 16 doubles teams, 32 women’s singles players and 16 doubles teams, and offers nearly $2 million in player compensation.
The tournament’s owner and beneficiary, the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF), provides underserved children in the D.C. area a safe environment to learn critical life skills both on and off the courts through academic and athletic enrichment.
Ticket pricing and package details are now available at www.citiopentennis.com or by phone at 202.721.9500. Daily and single session tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
For more information, visit the Citi Open on the web at www.citiopentennis.com. The Citi Open is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CitiOpen and Twitter @CitiOpen. To receive news and updates about the tournament, join the growing Citi Open Text Club by texting DC to 25973. The 2013 Citi Open is a Lagardère Unlimited production.
