2020 Citi Open in Washington cancelled because of coronavirus

William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Centre (Wikimedia Commons)

The 2020 Citi Open in Washington, D.C. has been cancelled because of coronavirus according to Christopher Clarey of the New York Times on Tuesday. The event was to be the first event on the ATP Tour since March 1, and one of two events that were to take place prior to the U.S. Open.

The Citi Open is at the 500-point level. Australia’s Nick Kyrgios is the defending champion, as he defeated Daniil Medvedev of Russia 7-6, 7-6 a year ago. Other notable champions over the last decade include Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, Alexander Zverev of Germany, Gael Monfils of France, and Kei Nishikori of Japan.

The 2014 Citi Open was historic. That is because for the first time in tennis history, there was an all-Canadian men’s singles final on the ATP Tour. Former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ontario defeated Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, British Columbia 6-1, 6-4.

On the women’s side, the Citi Open was cancelled July 9 according to Katishi Maake of the Washington Business Journal. Jessica Pegula of Buffalo, New York delivered the first WTA tournament victory of her career in the 2019 Citi Open Final as she defeated Camila Giorgi of Italy 6-2, 6-2.

The Citi Open for men debuted in 1969, with Andre Agassi capturing the most titles to date with five. The only two-time WTA winners of the Citi Open, which started in 2011, have been Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia and Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia.

With the cancellation of the Citi Open, men’s tennis is set to start August 15 with the Cincinnati Masters. This year the tournament is in New York City, to cut down on travel prior to the U.S. Open. The WTA Tour will begin with the Palermo Open in Italy starting August 3.

There are currently 11,571 cases of coronavirus in the District of Columbia, with 8970 active cases. There are also 581 deaths there.