WTA Mubadala Citi DC Open: Pegula, Stephens Eye Second Titles

Moving To 500 Level Event Has Paid Immediate Dividends for DC Open

The good news is that the WTA Mubadala Citi DC Open has moved from being a 250 to 500 event after being combined with the men’s event and that is evident when looking at the player field expected for the event.

The field is headlined by American Jessica Pegula as she comes in at No. 4 in the WTA rankings. Fellow top-10 players Caroline Garcia, Coco Gauff and Maria Sakkari are also in the field.

After a surprising title run in 2022, Liudmila Samsonova looks to become the first back-to-back WTA champion in Washington since Magdalena Rybarikova accomplished the feat in 2012 and 2013.

Wild cards were given to Americans Danielle Collins, Sofia Kenin and Canada’s Bianca Andreescu.

Pegula and Gauff are tied for fifth with +1400 odds in the US Open outrights with Garcia not far behind at +1600.

The main draw of one of the longest-running U.S.-based WTA tournaments begins on Monday William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park. With a 32-player main draw, there will be no first-round byes.

Pleasant Memories For Pegula

Pegula is no stranger to playing in Washington as she made her debut in 2013 before it was known as the WTA Mubadala Citi DC Open when she won two qualifying matches to earn a spot in the main draw. She returned three years later to upset top-seeded Samantha Stosur in the quarterfinals before her run ended at the hands of fellow American Lauren Davis in the semifinals.

Pegula was ranked 79th when she topped current World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Davis and then rolled past Camila Giorgi to win her first WTA title.

Pegula was the top seed in last year’s tournament before being eliminated in the Round of 16.

A Look At the U.S. Hopes

Pegula is far from the only American who could win this tournament. Last year’s event was not a memorable one for the U.S. players as Venus Williams, Madison Brengle, Sloane Stephens, Kenin and Louisa Chirico all fell in the first round. When Pegula lost in the second round, that left no Americans left in the field.

Gauff is looking to see things play out much better at the US Open than she did at Wimbledon. Gauff was given an unfortunate draw that led to her getting Kenin in the first round. Gauff lost in three sets.

Keys reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon after winning the warm-up tournament in Eastbourne. Her game fits perfectly with the hard courts in Washington.

Keys hasn’t played in Washington since 2019 and is 1-3 in the event.

Collins, the 2022 Australian Open finalist, will play at the event for the first time. She played her college tennis about two hours away at the University of Virginia where she was a two-time NCAA singles champion.

Kenin won the 2020 Australian Open. However, she is fighting to stay in the top 100 in the rankings.

Stephens is back as well as she looks to add another title in Washington after winning in 2015.

Plenty of Star Power

It is not all about the U.S. players in this field.

Garcia can be a dangerous player in any tournament she enters and needs to be considered one of the top contenders in the WTA Mubadala Citi DC Open. Her recent results haven’t been that impressive so she will use the upcoming events to prepare for the US Open.

Former World No. 1s Victoria Azarenka and Karolina Pliskova are also in the field, along with Daria Kasatkina as she is on the verge of moving back into the top 10.

Ninth-ranked Maria Sakkari is the fourth top-10 player in the field. She is another player looking to change her luck after losing in the first round both at the French Open and Wimbledon.

Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, received a wild card as she looks to regain her form.

Wimbledon semifinalist Elina Svitolina is also in the field. When looking at WTA scores, few drew as much attention as her win over No. 1 Swiatek in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. She also eliminated former Grand Slam champions Kenin and Azarenka as she returned to prominence after leaving the tour due to her pregnancy.

Booking a Rising Star

Clervie Ngounoue, who is coming off winning the girls’ singles title at Wimbledon, is a 17-year-old Washington, D.C. native who will attract plenty of buzz when she hits the court.

Ngounoue has had some strong results at ITF events and is the No. 2 ranked player on the ITF circuit.

Some former Wimbledon girls’ singles champions are Martina Hingis, Amelie Mauresmo, Caroline Wozniacki, Ash Barty and Swiatek, so she is in some pretty select company. Time will tell if she can approach that level of success on the WTA tour.

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