WORLD NO. 8 JO-WILFRIED TSONGA TO PLAY CITI OPENSM

Written by: Staff on 25th May 2013

WORLD NO. 8 JO-WILFRIED TSONGA TO PLAY CITI OPENSM

epa03695538 French tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga returns the ball to Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka during their Madrid Open tennis tournament quarter final match played at the Caja Magica tennis center in Madrid, central Spain, 10 May 2013. EPA/EMILIO NARANJO |

WASHINGTON—Four of the world’s best tennis athletes will converge in the nation’s capital this summer for the Citi OpenSM, adding to a player field already brimming with world-class talent.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA), Sam Querrey (USA), Sloane Stephens (USA), and Kevin Anderson (RSA)— have committed to compete in the Washington, D.C., tournament from July 27 – August 4 at the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Stadium in Rock Creek Park. They join an impressive list of other previously announced entrants, including world No. 1 doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan, former finalists John Isner, Gael Monfils, and Mardy Fish, and top Australians Bernard Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt.

Tsonga, currently ranked No. 8 on the Emirates ATP Rankings, returns to the Washington courts for the second time in his career (2009). The 28-year-old French star player first gained worldwide fame when, as an unseeded player, he reached the finals of the 2008 Australian Open.

Since then he has been a perennial top 10 player capturing 10 singles titles, reaching seven other finals, and making three appearances in the ATP World Tour Finals. He heads into the 2013 French Open looking to improve on the impressive run he had reaching the quarterfinals last year.

“Washington is an important tournament on the ATP World Tour calendar for players. As a 500-level event, the tournament offers critical ranking points and great preparation heading into Canada, Cincinnati and the US Open,” Tsonga said. “I am looking forward to playing against a strong field and competing for the title.”

The addition of Querrey to the tournament player field means that all four members of the US Davis Cup team—including Isner and the Bryans—will play in the Citi Open. Currently ranked No. 19 in the world and the No. 1 American, Querrey reached the semifinals in singles during last year’s Citi Open.

Rising American star Stephens burst onto the scene when she, then 19, beat Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January 2013. The current world No. 17, Stephens returns to the Washington hard courts, where she reached the WTA International level tournament semifinals last year.

Top-ranked South African player Anderson, who reached the doubles final with Querrey in last year’s Citi Open, has won two singles career titles, both on hard courts. Anderson is currently ranked No. 27 in the world.

“Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is one of the game’s most intense and entertaining players to watch,” said Jeff Newman, tournament director. “His participation along with Querrey, Isner, Anderson, and Stephens provides the tournament with five Top 25 early commitments, along with the world’s number one doubles team, the Bryans. We’re excited we can bring this type of field for our fans.”

The Citi Open is one of only 11 ATP World Tour 500-level events worldwide and the only one in the United States. It is recognized by the ATP World Tour as one of the top 20 tournaments in the world. The Citi Open is also a part of the prestigious Emirates Airline US Open Series, the five-week summer tennis season that links nine North American hard-court tournaments to the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open.

The Citi Open also includes a WTA International Level tournament, which provides fans the opportunity to watch simultaneous competitions of both world-class men’s and women’s tennis throughout the nine-day event. The tournament features 48 men’s singles players and 16 doubles teams, 32 women’s singles players and 16 doubles teams, and offers nearly $2 million in player compensation.

The tournament’s owner and beneficiary, the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF), provides underserved children in the D.C. area a safe environment to learn critical life skills both on and off the courts through academic and athletic enrichment.

Ticket pricing and package details are now available at www.citiopentennis.com, or by phone at 202.721.9500. Daily and single session tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

For more information, visit the Citi Open on the web at www.citiopentennis.com. The Citi Open is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CitiOpen and Twitter @CitiOpen. To receive news and updates about the tournament, join the growing Citi Open Text Club by texting DC to 25973. The 2013 Citi Open is a Lagardère Unlimited production.