Leylah Fernandez, Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin are joining Emma Raducanu in the women’s draw at the Citi Open. Together with new additions on the men’s side — Nick Kyrgios, Frances Tiafoe, Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, and Reilly Opelka — the initial 2022 player field now includes three Grand Slam champions, two Citi Open champions and five Top 20 players.
The Citi Open is one of only five combined tennis tournaments in the United States, featuring professional competition from both men and women. The 2022 event will be held July 30 through August 7 at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center.
“We are just two months out from a memorable week of world-class tennis in the nation’s capital and are excited to share these new player field additions with our fans. We look forward to announcing more players and tournament updates in the coming weeks,” said Mark Ein, Citi Open Chairman.
World No.15 Leylah Fernandez is a two-time Monterrey champion, where she captured back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. The Canadian recently reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and famously competed in the all-teen US Open final in 2021, falling to fellow 2022 Citi Open contender Raducanu. The 19-year-old Fernandez is currently injured and will therefore miss Wimbledon, but she apparently expects to heal by August since the Citi Open has just announced this news.
Sloane Stephens holds seven singles titles, including the 2017 US Open title and 2015 Citi Open title. This season, the 29-year-old American won the tournament in Guadalajara and reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, where she was a finalist in 2018.
Sofia Kenin has accepted a main-draw wildcard into the Citi Open. The former world No.4 has been sidelined by injuries throughout the past two seasons. The American won her first Grand Slam title in 2020 at the Australian Open, reached the finals of the French Open the same year and holds five WTA singles titles. The 23-year-old reached the quarterfinals in Adelaide in January.
Citi Open’s ATP 500 event will showcase 48 singles players and 16 doubles teams. Its revived WTA 250 event will celebrate its 10th edition in 2022 with a player field featuring 32 singles competitors and 16 doubles teams. The event will continue to announce players and tournament updates in the coming weeks.