WASHINGTON OPEN: As the ATP 500 series continues, the players travel to Washington for some hard-court action. With the US Open next up in the majors, this will provide a good opportunity for some much-needed minutes on the American hard courts after a long stint on clay and grass.
Taylor Fritz – No.1 seed
On the tour since 2015 when he was just 17 years of age, Taylor Fritz is a very experienced player who really comes in to his own when the American hard-court action begins, and his titles and talents make him a worthy number one seed for this tournament.
Fritz has picked up five titles on the ATP Tour so far, with one of those coming in the ATP 500 series when he won the Japan Open last year. His greatest achievement to date on the ATP Tour came when he won the Indian Wells Masters on the ATP 1000 Masters series, again on a hard-court surface.
The American picked up his first and only ATP title of 2023 so far back in February when he won the Delray Beach Open, another tournament played on hard court, which gives him every reason to be hopeful of picking up another here.
Despite it being his home Grand Slam, and played on his favoured surface, Fritz has never made it past the third round at the US Open and a win at Washington could set him in good stead to kick on and put in a good run at Flushing Meadows this year.
Andy Murray – Back to his best?
It might be a bit of stretch to say that Andy Murray is looking back to his old self but he has certainly come on a long way from when he first came back from injury and he looks a formidable force on the tour ounce again.
Murray hasn’t managed to add to his eye-watering 46 ATP Tour titles this year but he did have a victory at the Surbiton Trophy on the challenger tour last month. Murray has won 34 of his titles on hard court and his first ever Grand Slam victory came at the US Open.
The brit has reached the final of the Washington Open before but that was all the way back in 2006 when Murray was just 19 years old, and the now three-time Grand Slam winning 36-year-old would certainly be happy with another final appearance this year.
Felix Auger-Aliassime – All eyes on the top 10
2023 has not been Felix Auger-Aliassime’s year so far and the young Canadian has had struggles with finding form throughout, failing to pick up a title on the ATP Tour so far.
The Canadian finished off last year well as he picked up three consecutive ATP Tour titles and that saw him shoot up as high as sixth in the world rankings, his highest to date. He didn’t manage to carry this form through to the new year as he crashed out of the Australian Open in the first round.
Injuries soon hit and he is now on the comeback trail and the Washington Open could provide a great opportunity to find his form on his favoured surface. He has picked up all four of his ATP titles on hard courts, as well as a Masters 1000 series victory on the surface at the Paris Master back in 2020.
He will have a return to the top 10 firmly in his sights and a strong performance here would provide a great platform for him to build a strong finish to the 2023 season.
Francis Tiafoe – Looking to make it three
Francis Tiafoe has had his best year so far on the ATP Tour in 2023 having picked up two of his three career titles in April and June of this year.
Tiafoe’s first ATP Tour victory came back in 2018 when he was just 20 years old, making him the youngest American man to win a tournament on the ATP Tour since Andy Roddick in 2002. Having had to wait another five years for his next he is now looking to complete a hat-trick of titles this year.
Tiafoe is a great all-round player and doesn’t necessarily have a preferred surface but the fact that he does have a hard-court victory under his belt could certainly work in his favour, and a win here would be even more special for him given that it would be his first in the 500 Series having lost two finals in the series previously.
