Sunday, May 26, 2013

Citi Open Player Field Heats Up!

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga commits to Citi Open

From our friends at the Citi Open...

Early Player Commitments Include Tsonga, Isner, Stephens, Bob & Mike Bryan, Monfils, Hewitt, Querrey & Tomic

Tennis' best will once again compete in the nation's capital for the 45th edition of the Citi Open to be held July 27 - August 4 at the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park.

The player field is brimming with top talent comprised of former champions, fan-favorites and rising young stars. This week the Citi Open announced the participation of World No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, American tennis phenom Sloane Stephens, and top-ranked American male Sam Querrey.

Tsonga returns to the Washington courts for the second time in his career (2009). The 28-year-old French star first gained worldwide fame as an unseeded player that reached the finals of the 2008 Australian Open after stunning Rafael Nadal in the semis.
   
Since then he has been a perennial top 10 player capturing ten singles titles and making three appearances at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals. He heads into the French Open looking to
improve on his impressive run to the quarterfinals last year.

"Washington is an important tournament on the ATP World Tour calendar for players. As a 500-level event, the tournament offers critical ranking points and great preparation heading into Canada, Cincinnati and the US Open," Tsonga said. " I am looking forward to playing against a strong field and competing for the title."

With the addition of Querrey, all four members of the U.S. Davis Cup team including 2007 finalist John Isner and the winningest doubles team in the history of tennis the Bryan Brothers will play in D.C.  The chest-bumping identical twins clinched their place in sports history with several recent milestones in their 15-year-long doubles career. Last summer, the pair won the Gold Medal at the London Olympic Games and finished 2012 as the No. 1 doubles team for a record eighth time. This past January the Bryans won their 13th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and just last week they captured their 88th career title in Rome and their sixth title of the year.

"Washington has always been one of our favorite places to play," Bob Bryan said. "The tournament supported us at the beginning of our careers, when we reached the semis as wildcard entrants, and then later on, we won three times in a row. We always play well in D.C., so Mike and I are excited to be coming back and to compete for a fourth."        
           
Headlining the WTA field will be Sloane Stephens, who is currently ranked No. 17 in the world and is returning for her third straight Citi Open appearance. Stephens was the talk of the sports world this past January after she defeated Serena Williams and advanced to the Australian Open semifinals. Her incredible run in Melbourne has propelled her to a career-high ranking, making her the youngest player in the WTA Top 30.

"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."

Other early player commitments include 2004 Champ and former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, 2011 finalist Gael Monfils and rising ATP star Bernard Tomic, who won his first career ATP World Tour title this past January in Sydney.

For more information regarding players, ticket packages, special events and the full tournament schedule please visit our website www.citiopentennis.com or call 202-721-9500.