Emma Raducanu announces decision to play at Citi Open in Washington D.C. in the build-up to US Open
Emma Raducanu, who recently broke into the top 10 of the WTA rankings, has announced that she will compete at the Citi Open, which begins in Washington D.C. on August 1. The Citi Open is an ATP 500 and WTA 250 event that is part of the North American hard-court swing.
Raducanu made the announcement in a video on Twitter, saying that it "should be good fun."
"Hey everyone. I am happy to announce that I am coming to DC to play a tournament this summer. I amreally looking forward to it becasue I haven't been the capital before and it should be good fun," Raducanu said.
The Citi Open was co-founded by Arthur Ashe and is the fourth-longest-running professional tournament in the US.
Past winners in Washington include Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Ken Rosewall, and Yannick Noah. The women's competition has seen the likes of Jessica Pegula and Sloane Stephens win the title in recent years.
Since April 2019, the management rights of the tournament have been acquired by MDE Sports.
WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon thanked the organizers for providing the best players on the women's circuit an opportunity to showcase their talent.
“I am delighted the Citi Open is returning to the WTA tennis calendar this summer. The tournament and the Washington community have a rich history on the Hologic WTA Tour, with many of the game’s biggest names gracing the courts in previous editions in the nation’s capital. I am grateful to the tournament organizers for their support and for providing the world’s best women's tennis players the opportunity to showcase their talent,” Simon said.
Emma Raducanu aims to relive US Open glory
Emma Raducanu began the season on a disappointing note, crashing out of the Australian Open in the second round. She faltered again at Indian Wells and Miami, failing to advance beyond the third and second rounds respectively.
The British teenager then lost to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the Stuttgart Open, which was her first tour-level claycourt tournament.
A back injury halted her progress at the Rome Masters following which Aliaksandra Sasnovich got the better of the 19-year-old in the second round of the French Open. Things didn't improve for the teenager at Wimbledon, where she bowed out in the second round as well.
Raducanu hit the headlines when she won the 2021 US Open after entering the main draw as a qualifier and became the first British woman to win a Grand Slam title since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977.
The teen sensation became only the fifth player in the Open Era to advance to the US Open semifinals on debut before winning the title without dropping a set.
Raducanu has been hampered by a series of injuries since the historic triumph in New York and will be looking to regain her form at the Citi Open before attempting to defend her US Open title.
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