Mubadala Citi DC Open the latest milestone on tennis calendar

New tournament will be the only combined ATP-WTA 500 tournament in the world

The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open helped women’s tennis to strengthen its foothold in the Mena region. Pawan Singh / The National

A new elite level tournament is set for the tennis calendar following the merger of the Citi Open in Washington DC with the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, to become the Mubadala Citi DC Open that will take place in July.

The move from San Jose is set to elevate the women’s event from a WTA 250 level to a WTA 500 level, making the Mubadala Citi DC Open the only combined ATP-WTA 500 tournament in the world on the tour calendar, as well as the only co-titled event on tour. The move is subject to ATP board approval.

Mark Ein, the chairman of MDE Sports and the Citi Open, met Brian Lott, chief communications officer for Mubadala Investment Company, and Edward Skyler, executive vice-president, Citi, to launch the new co-title partnership and tournament.

“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. We are thrilled to now make that a reality and are deeply grateful to Mubadala, Citi and IMG for this unique and impactful partnership,” said Ein, Mubadala Citi DC Open’s chairman.

“Our relationship with women’s professional tennis began in 2017, when we worked with the WTA to move this tournament from Stanford University to San Jose State University, attracting new fans in the Silicon Valley area and extending its timeline in Northern California by five years,” Lott said. “We are excited to build on the heritage of these men’s and women’s tournaments to create something new and historic in Washington DC.”

Lott added that it was the next step in Mubadala's global plans, which run concurrently with promoting Abu Dhabi as the hub of sport.

“Another goal for Mubadala and the Sports Council is to make Abu Dhabi a hub for the global sport of tennis. We began fourteen years ago with the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. Earlier this year we brought the top professional women’s players at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open. To help develop future Emirati champions, we actively support grass roots tennis in the UAE.

“We are delighted to sponsor the Mubadala Citi DC Open to further support the sport of tennis globally.”

The Mubadala Citi DC Open will be the fifth largest pro tennis event in the US and is set to take place July 29 – August 6 at Rock Creek Park in the nation’s capital.

The tournament was founded in 1969 to support Arthur Ashe’s vision of playing professional tennis in a public park, making tennis accessible to everyone. The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic was founded 52 years ago by Billie Jean King as the first event of the 1971 professional women’s tour that has now become the WTA.

The tournament will remain a 28-player field and presents a rare opportunity for a combined 500-level event the same week, allowing WTA players to compete in front of a larger audience with a more convenient tour schedule in proximity to the next major WTA events and then the US Open in New York City later that month.

Mubadala recently hosted the first-ever Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open WTA 500.

Visit www.mubadalacitidcopen.com for more information.