Washington Open: 5 things to watch – ft. Emma Raducanu, Aryna Sabalenka, Andrey Rublev
Tennis talk has largely centred around Paris 2024 in recent days and may continue to do so for the next week or so.
But it is not the only tournament taking place – and is not the only event with a big field.
Amid the growing demands of the tennis world, several huge names have chosen to ahead to the Washington Open in D.C. instead.
The combined WTA and ATP 500 event has a stacked entry list in both the men’s and women’s singles draw, and ahead of the main draw we look at five key storylines to watch.
Sabalenka’s return
The women’s singles draw at Wimbledon sorely missed Aryna Sabalenka, with the world No 3’s withdrawal paving the way for a hugely dramatic event.
It is not hard to imagine a world where the Belarusian would have won the title had she played, and she heads into D.C hopefully with her shoulder now back to full health – and as the star attraction.
The two-time Australian Open champion has US Open final points to defend at the end of the summer and will try to use extra time on hard courts to her advantage as she targets her third major.
The former world No 1 has a round one bye and, assuming she is fit, is the title favourite.
Raducanu looks to continue momentum
Emma Raducanu’s Olympic decision has been widely discussed off the court but on it, the signs were promising across the grass-court season.
The Brit comes into Washington having reached the fourth round of Wimbledon and cracking the top 100 of the WTA Rankings, and will now look to surge further.
We know Raducanu can play on hard courts – her 2021 US Open triumph is a testament to that – and all eyes will be on if D.C. provides a platform for a strong end to 2024.
She has been handed an intriguing opening clash against eighth seed Elise Mertens – who she beat convincingly at SW19.
Washington Open News
Emma Raducanu makes ‘FOMO’ Olympic confession ahead of Washington campaign
Ons Jabeur slams tennis scheduling amid Olympic surface change debate
Rublev’s rush to find form
Two titles for Andrey Rublev is not a bad return for the Russian, but those victories aside it’s been a pretty poor year for him.
His Dubai default and early French Open and Wimbledon exits – where he mentally capitulated – have left many questioning his standing in the game, with his top-10 ranking hanging by a thread.
Rublev comes into D.C. off the back of a semi-final run in Umag but had lost four straight before that, and he is in desperate need of another big run.
The Russian is the top seed in the men’s draw, and pressure will be on him to deliver.
Can American trio silence critics?
Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda, and Frances Tiafoe were all potentially eligible for the Olympics, but all three prioritized the hard-court summer instead.
The decision has attracted criticism from some and now, in the biggest tournament of the US summer so far, all three will look to silence their doubters.
Shelton is the second seed, Korda the fourth, and Tiafoe the fifth, so expectations on all three are high as the biggest home stars in the US capital.
Will they be able to spark their summers into life?
Can Jabeur find fitness?
By and large, 2024 has been a troublesome season for Ons Jabeur, who has struggled physically – and has slipped out of the top 10 of the WTA Rankings.
The Tunisian is one of countless players to pick playing in D.C. over Paris due to fitness concerns, and we will now see if that decision pays off.
There have been some flickers of life for the former world No 2 over the past couple of months, and she has the advantage of an early by in the US capital.
