A little rain never hurt anyone; but it
did put a damper on last night's evening session at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Day four of the
Citi Open lasted into the wee hours, as the #2 & #3 men's seeds (
Kei Nishikori and
Marin Čilić) battled to victory
after midnight. Rain notwithstanding, it was a fabulous day of tennis in the nation's capital; and the best is yet to come, starting with #1 seed
Andy Murray's singles debut later tonight.
Stadium Court hosted both of last year's US Open finalists after the conclusion of
Lleyton Hewitt's straight-set victory over
John-Patrick Smith 6-3, 6-4. World #5 Nishikori rallied to stop Aussie
James Duckworth 6-7 (8), 6-1, 6-4 in 2 hours and 19 minutes. Defending US Open champ (and world #8) Čilić had an easier time dispatching of
Hyeon Chung 7-6 (2), 6-3, moving on to a juicy third round matchup with
Sam Querrey on Thursday. Querrey advanced earlier in the day, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 over Japan's
Go Soeda.
Other notable winners on the men's side were Americans
Steve Johnson,
Jack Sock and last year's Citi Open finalist
Vasek Pospisil, a 7-5, 6-3 winner over
Donald Young on Grandstand 1. Pospisil will face the winner of today's
John Isner vs.
Víctor Estrella Burgos contest. If Isner wins (as expected) Thursday's showdown with Pospisil could rival Čilić vs. Querrey for match of the day.
On the women's side, fan favorite
Sloane Stephens took care of Poland's
Magda Linette in just over an hour, 6-2, 6-1 on Grandstand 2. Up next for Stephens? #4 seed
Svetlana Kuznetsova, a 6-2, 6-4 victor over
Sanaz Marand. Stephens vs. Kuznetsova should be one heck of a match to look forward to. Also advancing, top seed
Ekaterina Makarova, #2 seed (and former US Open champ)
Samantha Stosur and #3 seed
Belinda Bencic. The top six seeds were victorious; but #7
CoCo Vandeweghe lost a three-set marathon to fellow American
Christina McHale 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
Play gets underway today at 2 PM.
Click here to purchase tickets online; or visit the Citi Open Box Office outside the main entrance.
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| Impromptu line dance on Stadium Court |
Click here for yesterday's results.
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| Rain delay |
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| Denis Kudla |
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| Ivan Dodig |
