D.C.’s Citi Open merging with Silicon Valley Classic to upgrade WTA event

Washington’s Citi Open is combining with California’s Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, elevating the week-long tournament’s position on the tennis calendar and ushering in a new name.

The rebranded Mubadala Citi D.C. Open will still take place at the same time, from July 29 to Aug. 6 in Rock Creek Park, but now both the ATP (men’s) and WTA (women’s) tournaments will be 500-level events. MDE Tennis, the group led by Washington-area investor and entrepreneur Mark Ein that runs the D.C. tournament, made the announcement Thursday.

The tournament’s upgrade comes on the WTA side, as D.C. will merge with the Silicon Valley Classic, previously held in San Jose, California. Held most recently at San Jose State University, it was founded by American tennis legend Billie Jean King in 1971 and was the longest-running women’s-only tennis tournament in the world.

Combining that WTA 250 event with Washington’s WTA 250 event elevates the play on the women’s side to the 500-level, matching D.C.’s existing ATP 500 event. 

“Since we took over the Citi Open in 2019, one of our top goals was to secure the long-term rights to host an equal level WTA 500 event in combination with our historic ATP 500 event that is beloved by our community and that has been a highlight of summers in Washington for 53 years,” Ein said. “We are thrilled to now make that a reality.” 

The D.C. event is now the only combined ATP and WTA 500 tournament in the world, and will likely make Washington a more attractive stop for players during the North American hard-court season leading up to the U.S. Open. For tennis fans, it means more players ranked in the top 30 globally will be in Washington’s draw, as well as women’s matches should receive equitable treatment in terms of court selection and start times.

The tournament has grown exponentially under Ein’s direction, drawing some of the biggest tennis stars in the world, including Rafael Nadal in 2021 and Andy Murray and Venus Williams last year. Every session for the last two years has sold out, according to tournament records.