WASHINGTON, June 4, 2022 (by Michael Dickens)
After exploding on the the tennis scene last year by winning her first title – and first major – at the US Open, British teenager Emma Raducanu is ready to make a splash at the Citi Open in the nation’s capital city of Washington, D.C., this summer.
On Friday, the Citi Open formally announced that the 19-year-old Raducanu, who is currently ranked World No. 12, is the first to commit to the new WTA Tour 250 event at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center that is being held in conjunction with its current ATP 500 event, July 30 through August 7. The Citi Open is one of only five combined ATP/WTA tournaments in the United States, featuring competition from both men and women.
“I’m thrilled that the Citi Open is bringing back its WTA tournament and I’m really excited to compete on the courts in DC for the first time,” said Raducanu in a statement. “The past year has been an unforgettable time in my tennis career and I look forward to adding new memories in Washington this summer.”
Grand Slam champ 🔜 Citi Open
Defending #USOpen champion & World No. 12 @EmmaRaducanu will make her DC debut in August! 🏆🎉 pic.twitter.com/2x7jVzd8B3
— Citi Open (@CitiOpen) June 3, 2022
Last year, Raducanu became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam and the first British woman to win a major since 1977. She won 10 straight matches at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center – all of them in straight sets – en route to winning the 2021 US Open women’s singles title. Since then, Raducanu has been seeded in both of this season’s majors, the Australian Open and Roland Garros; as well as competing at Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, where she was a quarterfinalist, and Madrid. She’s also represented Great Britain in Billie Jean King Cup competition.
“The past few weeks have been very exciting for Washington tennis fans,” said Mark Ein, Citi Open Chairman, in a statement. “We officially announced the return of the Hologic WTA Tour to the Citi Open, and now, the reigning US Open champion will compete in our player field this August. Emma delighted crowds and took the tennis world by storm last summer when she made her unforgettable run to the US Open title. We can’t wait to welcome Emma to DC for the first time.”
The Citi Open’s revived WTA 250 event will celebrate its 10th edition this summer with a field that will feature 32 singles competitors, 16 doubles teams and 16 qualifiers.
Big news: Women’s tennis is back. 🎾🙌 The #CitiOpen is a combined event once again!
In conjunction with this year’s @atptour event, we will host a @WTA tournament featuring 32 singles players, 16 doubles teams & 16 qualifiers.
Learn more ➡️https://t.co/mjDZhaAv1R pic.twitter.com/r6Jl0yRMdm
— Citi Open (@CitiOpen) May 27, 2022
