Citi DC Open delivers star power and local pride at Rock Creek Park
The Mubadala Citi DC Open is in full swing and local fans have a lot of appreciation for the historic tournament The Mubadala Citi DC Open is the fifth-largest pro tennis event in the U S and takes place until July at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center in Northwest Fans are seen carrying oversized tennis balls about the size of a soccer ball around the tennis stadium and adjoining courts in Rock Creek Park in hopes of getting players to sign them Nayan Krishnan was on the hunt to get his favorite member s signature I love the Citi I think the Citi Open is definitely my favorite if I m being honest it s the the majority accessible to get players autographs and stuff like that he explained WTOP Alexa George of D C mentioned she loves that top name local players make it a priority to play the tournament I like to endorsement the local people I know Tiafoe we ve got Baptiste she announced Frances Tiafoe who grew up in Prince George s County Maryland has been one of the top players in the world the last minimal years Tiafoe ranked No in the world lately lost in the semifinals of the French Open to seventh-ranked Lorenzo Musetti who was defeated by No Cameron Norrie on Tuesday in D C Hailey Baptiste who s from D C is playing with Venus Williams in the doubles tournament On Monday Williams displayed her trademark power on several strokes while teaming with Baptiste for a - - conquest against Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue The crowd was insane From the moment we stepped out of the players area you could kind of feel the buzz Walking onto the court just felt all the love for the both of us Baptiste noted I was obviously very nervous to play with her I didn t want to let her down first match back and everything Terry Tate attended the tournament because he demanded to see top tennis players and loves the atmosphere I think this tournament I ve been the last scarce years it s definitely growing it s getting bigger and bigger each year The Citi DC Open was founded by the late tennis star Arthur Ashe and others in According to the tournament website a portion of the proceeds benefit the Washington Tennis Coaching Foundation which works to improve the life of tennis prospects in the D C area especially those from lower-income communities The Associated Press contributed to this statement Source
