The Washington Open draw has landed, and tennis fans have plenty to get excited about heading into the first major stop of the hardcourt swing before the Canadian Open, Cincinnati, and ultimately the US Open.
On the ATP side, top seed Alex de Minaur faces an immediate and daunting challenge in the form of wildcard Stefanos Tsitsipas. The head-to-head numbers make grim reading for the Australian, who has won just one of his 13 career meetings with the Greek star, that solitary victory coming at the 2024 Acapulco Open. De Minaur is also the defending champion in Washington, having lifted the title in 2025, so the stakes could hardly be higher.
Jack Draper, entering the tournament on a wildcard, draws Alex Michelsen in round one, while another standout first-round encounter pits Rafael Jodar against Arthur Fils, two young guns who have already claimed ATP titles this season. Taylor Fritz faces Zizou Bergs, who memorably won his maiden ATP title at Eastbourne earlier this year.
On the WTA side, Filipino sensation Alex Eala faces former world No. 4 and Grand Slam finalist Qinwen Zheng in what shapes up as a genuine test of her rising credentials. Zheng enters on a wildcard and sits nearly 100 places below Eala in the current rankings, but her quality is beyond question.
Venus Williams, also on a wildcard, meets Anastasia Potapova, who reached the Linz final and the Madrid Open semifinals this year. Defending champion Leylah Fernandez opens against Magda Linette, with a potential meeting against Zheng or Eala awaiting the winner.
Main draw action gets underway Monday, July 27th. TennisDraw users picking their way through this loaded bracket will need to think carefully before locking in their first-round predictions.
