Thiem, 4 ATP Top 10; Halep at Combined Citi Open; ATP/WTA Previews

The Citi Open hosts both the men and women in Washington, D.C., next week where four Top 10ers headline the men’s field, and Simona Halep is the women’s headliner against a dangerous field.
ADHEREL
CITI OPEN
WASHINGTON, D.C.; surface: hard

Men’s Seeds: Dominic Thiem, Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, Gael Monfils, Lucas Pouille, Jack Sock, John Isner, Nick Kyrgios, Gilles Muller, Mischa Zverev, Juan Martin del Potro, Steve Johnson, Kevin Anderson, Ryan Harrison

Floaters: Vasek Pospisil, Dudi Sela, Daniil Medvedev, Reilly Opelka, Kyle Edmund

Notes: Four Top 10ers in the field, along with the former US Open winner and three-time Washington champion Del Potro…The Citi Open is again left out of the USTA’s US Open Series…The top-seeded Thiem could have an interesting start against Pospisil, and the No. 2 Nishikori starts against the winner of the Tim Smyczek-Donald Young all-American encounter…Other interesting openers include (9) Isner vs. the Dudi Sela-Jared Donaldson winner, (14) Johnson vs. the Medvedev-Opelka winner, and (4) Dimitrov vs. the hot-handed Edmund…Wildcards were awarded to Dimitrov, Nishikori, Raonic, and Americans Smyczek and Tommy Paul…Withdrawing from the tournament were Dan Evans, Illya Marchenko and Bernard Tomic…Monfils beat Ivo Karlovic in last year’s final…Former champs in the field are Monfils (2016), Nishikori (2015), Raonic (2014), and Del Potro (2013,’09-08).

Women’s Seeds: Simona Halep, Kristina Mladenovic, Lauren Davis, Julia Goerges, Oceane Dodin, Monica Niculescu, Ekaterina Makarova, Christina McHale

Floaters: Jelena Jankovic, Genie Bouchard

Notes: Halep the lone Top 10 seed in the field…Tough starts  for (5) Dodin vs. the former No. 1 Jankovic, and (8) McHale vs. the former Top 10er Bouchard…Wildcards went to Halep, American Sloane Stephens and Canada’s Bianca Andreescu…Pulling out of the event were Daria Kasatkina, Yulia Putintseva, Francesca Schiavone, Yaroslava Shvedova and Samantha Stosur…Stephens returns from an injury following last year’s Olympics and Halep is competing in Washington for the first time…The absent Yanina Wickmayer beat Davis in last year’s final…Stephens (2015) is the lone former champ in the field.