The ATP Tour heads to Washington D.C. this week for the 2017 edition of the Citi Open. It’s bound to be one blockbuster tournament with four of the world’s top 10 players competing this week. Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this event and while you’re at it, you can also check out our sleeper picks for this week.
It isn’t a complete surprise to see Dominic Thiem and Kei Nishikori installed as favorites this week as they are the two highest-ranked players in the Citi Open field. Thiem rocketed up to seventh in the ATP rankings thanks to an excellent clay season wherein he compiled an impressive 22-5 record. He will look to translate that form into the hard courts where he is 12-8 this year. As the top seed, he received a bye in the opening round and will next face either Vasek Pospisil or Henri Laaksonen.
Also receiving a bye in the round of 64 is Kei Nishikori. The Japanese has had a tough year as he has yet to win in the ATP Tour this season. He will look to rectify that at the Citi Open, a tournament which he won back in 2015. It won’t get any easier for Nishikori, however, as he has been handed a tough draw this year. If the seeds hold, the talented Juan Martin Del Potro awaits him in the third round. Nishikori is 12-4 on the hard courts this season.
SLEEPERS: Gael Monfils and Juan Martin Del Potro
One player who’s primed for a huge performance this week is Gael Monfils. He arrives at this tournament as the defending champion, defeating Ivo Karlovic in an epic three-set final last year. It was a historic victory for Monfils who captured his first 500-level title on the ATP World Tour. The French powerhouse will look to use this year’s Citi Open as a springboard to Grand Slam success once again. Monfils reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open last year and in the process achieved a career-high ranking of No. 6.
Another worthy sleeper this week is Juna Martin Del Potro. Like Monfils, the Argentine is a returning champion, having won the tournament in 2008, 2009, and 2013. If he can get past Nishikori in the third round, the sky’s the limit for Del Potro who’s 6-4 on the hard courts this year.
LONG SHOT: Tommy Paul
Tommy Paul will be a good long shot this week. The New Jersey native is coming off a quarterfinal run in Atlanta, where he recorded his first two ATP World Tour victories since winning a round in Houston last year. Paul, who is ranked no. 291 in the world, will face 18-year-old Norwegian Casper Ruud in the first round.
