Consistency is a word that’s been used a lot by players at the D.C. Open this week. They’re all trying to get their hard court feet under them before the fourth and final grand slam, the U.S. Open.
Two of the competitors, though, have had no trouble making making the transition.
Wimbledon women’s semifinalist Elina Svitolina and men’s quarterfinalist Chris Eubanks made quick work of their second-round matches Tuesday, continuing their roll as the calendar turns from July to August.
Svitolina dispatched fifth-seeded and world No. 11 Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-2, needing only 1:36 for the straight-set win. A wildcard entry here, the Ukrainian runs her record against Kasatkina to 8-0 all-time. Combined with her first round win over former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, Svitolina is now a combined 13-1 versus those two and is looking to make Washington the 12th hard court title of her career.
“You know, I have been practicing after Wimbledon in a good spirit,” said Svitolina, a new mother back on tour after she and her husband Gael Monfils welcomed daughter Skai in October. “I was really hungry to go on the court, practice my game, and almost the day after when I went back home, I practiced with Gael already after the semifinal. So, that’s why, for me it’s a different story than before. So, I try just to take the positives and build on that.”
Eubanks’ day was even tidier, with the 11-seed on court for a mere 1:11 in his 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Sho Shimabukuro. His match on Grandstand, the smallest and most intimate of the three show courts, was a rowdy, standing-room-only affair with the Atlanta native getting the full support of the Washington crowd.
“I have always gotten a lot of love here in D.C.,” Eubanks said. “D.C. has always been a city that feels kind of like home. For some reason, I have always felt very, very at home here. I don’t know if it’s the heat and humidity or what it is, but I have always felt really, really good here. May not have always played my best, but I’ve always felt pretty at home here.”
Eubanks is now 12-2 since June 26, which includes an ATP 250 title in Mallorca along with his deep Wimbledon run. That consistency he credits to his serve being on lock, which was on display to the tune of 11 aces and a 78% win rate on his first serve.
“It’s always been, I think, kind of a barometer of where my game is. If I’m serving well, I think I can really cause a lot of guys problems, especially during the summer hard court swing, which is the time I have always really looked forward to,” Eubanks said. He’ll next play Australian Jordan Thompson, who upset No. 7 seed Adrian Mannarino of France 7-5, 6-4.
The Grandstand was the place to be for efficiency, with 16th-seeded American J.J. Wolf beating Moldovan Radu Albot 6-1, 6-3 in just 79 minutes. The Cincinnati native will face compatriot Michael Mmoh in the round of 16.
Quickness was not the theme for everyone during the most bustling daytime session of the tournament so far, especially on Harris court. No. 3 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada was upset by Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki in a nearly two-and-a-half-hour match that needed tiebreaks in both sets, 7-6 (10), 7-6 (3).
The two exchanged pounding, deep-court volleys throughout the first set, and the Canadian had a set point in the tiebreak at 9-8.
Watanuki countered with back-to-back aces and go on to win the set three points later.
Auger-Aliassime also led 3-1 in the second set breaker, but Watanuki roared back, winning six-straight points to take the set and the match.
In the match prior on Harris, 13-seed Ugo Humbert needed three sets and 2:43 to outlast Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, 7-6 (6), 1-6, 6-4.
The Frenchman saved seven break points in the match, and dominated Kokkinakis at the net, winning 75% of his points there (18-of-24) to the Australian’s 36% (4-for-11) output.
The other early victory on the women’s side of the draw belonged to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic. The No. 6 seed defeated American qualifier Lauren Davis 6-1, 6-4.
Later in the day, 15-seed Andy Murray triumphed 7-6 (5), 6-4 over American Brandon Nakashima. It was Murray’s first win in Washington since 2018, a year that was filled with heartbreak and pain as he contemplated whether to leave the game of tennis due to chronic hip issues that he would later have remedied with surgery.
“I wasn’t in a good place. So, yeah, to be back here still like five years after that when, you know, I didn’t really want to play anymore after that. I was just getting really not much enjoyment after that. I won some amazing matches that week but I felt awful,” Murray said.
“It’s been a long, long journey these last four, five years. But happy to still be going.”
• George Gerbo can be reached at ggerbo@washingtontimes.com.
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