Shortly after, the 26-year-old from Australia launched a ball off his racket high above the flags outlining the top of the main stadium at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. His armband followed.
De Minaur, seeded seventh and ranked No. 13 in the world, outlasted Davidovich Fokina, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (3), to capture his 10th career Association of Tennis Professionals Tour title, first of 2025 and eighth on hard court.
“In that immediate moment, it’s just relief,” de Minaur said. “I have had some tough losses this year, 7-6 in the third, and kind of just felt like it was a huge weight off my back. And the way I played that tiebreak, I committed to my shots, I went after it. Yeah, it’s just a sense of relief, proud of the way I have been dealing with my emotions and feelings on and off the court. I have put in a lot of work on that. It’s amazing to see the rewards so soon. It means I’m definitely doing something right.”
Initially delayed 50 minutes because of thunderstorms, fans in the 7,500-seat main stadium were treated to a show as de Minaur rallied a 5-2 deficit in the third set to win. He held serve twice and held on to win a nine-minute game that featured six deuces and three match points for Davidovich Fokina. On one of those match points, de Minaur was particularly clutch. He got just enough on an outstretched defensive backhand lob that clipped the line. Two shots later, he sprinted forward for a cross-court backhand winner that electrified the crowd.
“There were some very tough moments out there,” de Minaur said. “But it was a weird feeling and sensation because I felt like I had already been in that position. I was thinking about 2018, semifinals match against [Andrey] Rublev on that same court where I fought some match points by being aggressive and committing to hitting the ball.”
While Davidovich Fokina, of Spain, continued to double over in the late stages of the match, de Minaur only elevated his play. Davidovich Fokina played a three-hour match on Friday night against Taylor Fritz, and the lingering effects were evident.
Seven years ago, de Minaur made one of his first ATP finals appearances in Washington at 19 years old and lost in straight sets to Alexander Zverev. Since then, he’s become one of the tour’s most consistent players and is orchestrating one of the strongest seasons of his career in 2025.
De Minaur entered Sunday with 34 ATP Tour wins on the season, third most behind Zverev and world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz. De Minaur also is just one of four players to reach multiple ATP 500 finals this year, joining Alcaraz, Davidovich Fokina and 10th-ranked Rublev.
De Minaur, who will return to the top 10 with the victory, won’t have long to enjoy it. He heads to Toronto for another hard-court event, where he is the No. 9 seed in a stacked field.
De Minaur sat next to Davidovich Fokina after the match, attempting to console him and offer words of encouragement. De Minaur has undergone his share of tough defeats throughout his career and did his best to mitigate the sting of the loss. However, he knows words can only do so much and is aware of the jubilation of victory, but also the agony of defeat.
“Something I have learned over the past couple of years is that these moments are very hard to come by, and there’s a lot of effort and sacrifice that goes into it,” de Minaur said. “So, tonight, I’ll be enjoying a glass of wine with the team, acknowledging an incredible week. Then tomorrow I will be flying to Toronto and probably practicing in the afternoon and getting ready for another week because the tennis world doesn’t stop. And, yeah, there’s no rest for the wicked.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
]]>The 22-year-old from Canada and 36th-ranked player on the Women’s Tennis Association Tour considered taking a break from the sport after a disappointing second-round exit at Wimbledon. When she pondered taking a break, she and her father turned to a couple of former coaches, including Francisco Sanchez, who helped rejuvenate her ahead of the Mubadala Citi DC Open.
Evaluating the choice to step away or not, what Fernandez couldn’t ignore was her immense love for the sport and for competition. Those factors motivated her to play in Washington, a choice that has proved to be the right one.
On Sunday afternoon, after a roughly 50-minute weather delay because of thunderstorms, Fernandez captured the DC Open singles title in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, over Anna Kalinskaya (ranked 48th), of Russia, for her first career WTA 500 title. It is Fernandez’s fourth championship of her career — all on the hard courts — and first since the Prudential Hong Kong Open in October 2023. She moves up to 24th in the WTA rankings with the win.
“For me at that time, I was, like, ‘No, I can’t stop,'” Fernandez said. “Yeah, it’s tough to lose and going through that little rut, but I just want to keep competing, keep playing, and put on a good show for the fans. You know, one of these days, results are going to come in.
“I kept believing in it. But to happen so quickly, it feels very, very good. I’m very happy that I decided, that we both decided to keep going in this crazy adventure and to never give up. I think getting this trophy means a lot to not only myself but to everyone in my team and family.”
The left-hander introduced herself to the tennis community on the big stage with a surprising run to the 2021 U.S. Open final as a 19-year-old. Fernandez has been searching for similar success at a Grand Slam tournament since.
Throughout those trials and tribulations, Jorge Fernandez reinforced two key principles: “hard work and fight.” Fernandez reminded herself of those tenets each changeover, written in Sharpie on her water bottle.
Those qualities are exactly what it took to raise the trophy in the nation’s capital. Fernandez spent 10 hours, 20 minutes on the court in her five matches, the longest of any singles competitor. She grinded out multiple wins in long matches, including a 3-hour, 12-minute marathon in the semifinals on Saturday.
The young Canadian defeated two of the top-four seeds — world No. 4 and top seed Jessica Pegula in the Round of 16 and 12th-ranked and third-seeded Elana Rybakina in the semifinals — en route to the biggest title of her nascent career. On Sunday, Fernandez was dominant, dispatching Kalinskaya in just 69 minutes. She was efficient with a 71.8% first-serve rate, an extension of her strong serving performance throughout the tournament.
Holding the tournament’s gold trophy with an ear-to-ear smile, Fernandez was showered with streams of red, white and blue confetti, hoping to maintain momentum the remainder of the hard-court season, which continues in Montreal in her native Canada.
“This tournament in Washington is going to give me a lot of confidence coming in,” Fernandez said. “But then I also know that a lot of players are going to be, like, ‘OK, we’re going to have to keep an eye on her now.’ So, they’ll probably bring their best tennis. For me, start from zero, work hard to fight and to not take things for granted, because it’s going to be a dog fight in Montreal.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
]]>Three of this year’s four semifinalists had never reached this stage in the nation’s capital, the lone exception being Anna Kalinskaya, who made the semifinals in 2019 as a qualifier.
In Sunday afternoon’s final, fans will see two players vying for the first career WTA 500 singles title in 36th-ranked Leylah Fernandez of Canada and 48th-ranked Kalinskaya of Russia.
Both are playing some of their best tennis of the season and will look to elevate that to a new level on Sunday in just their second head-to-head meeting. The 22-year-old Fernandez outlasted the third overall seed and 12th-ranked Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), in a three-hour and 12-minute marathon match.
Kalinskaya took down 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, in 94 minutes. The 26-year-old has now defeated three straight top 50 opponents en route to the final and has yet to drop a set in the tournament. Her victory also denied the first rematch between Fernandez and Raducanu since their surprising matchup in the 2021 U.S. Open final as teenagers.
Kalinskaya defeated Poland’s Magda Linette (ranked 28th) in the Round of 16 and Denmark’s Clara Tauson (19th) in the quarterfinals. Her win over Tauson avenged a second-round loss at Wimbledon merely a few weeks ago.
For Kalinskaya, this tournament in Washington has been a significant breakthrough, particularly at a 500-level event. Her previous best result of the season was the Singapore Open, a 250-level hard-court event in January. After being eliminated in the early stages of both the French Open and Wimbledon, she’s aptly responded in Washington and Sunday’s final will be her first on hard court since Dubai in February 2024.
Meanwhile, Fernandez entered Saturday’s semifinal having grinded through her first three matches in nearly six hours of court time, highlighted by a Round of 16 three-set win over top seed and world No. 4 Jessica Pegula. Fernandez needed to dig even deeper in Saturday’s semifinal as she battled back from 1-3, 0-40 down in the second set on her serve and broke the 2022 Wimbledon champion to even the score at 5-5 before winning the tiebreak.
Throughout Saturday’s match, Fernandez, 22, reminded herself of the message written on her water bottle during each changeover: “Hard work, fight.” They have been the defining pillars of the young Canadian’s tennis career and everyday life as her dad and coach, Jorge Fernandez, consistently reminds her of the value of positivity.
Summoning the words on her water bottle
https://t.co/DYoi6UtkNy pic.twitter.com/bqaitNHkDO
— Mubadala Citi DC Open (@mubadalacitidc) July 26, 2025
After reaching the 2021 U.S. Open final as a 19-year-old, a match she lost to then-18-year-old Raducanu in straight sets, Leylah Fernandez hasn’t been able to replicate that same level of success. While there were certainly tough moments along the way, Fernandez credited the people who have stayed with her, including her dad and other coaches, namely Francisco Sanchez.
After the match, she jumped into the box to share a moment with her dad and appreciate those who have supported her throughout that journey. After a second-round exit at Wimbledon, Fernandez went to Spain for a few days, which proved to be a valuable reset.
While there, she trained with Sanchez, who was there on a family vacation. That helped rejuvenate her, and the benefits of that reconnection are evident in Washington.
“My dad, he was the one that told me not to stop, don’t stop believing. Keep working hard, keep fighting,” Fernandez said. “You know, I think there was also a moment where both of us, where we were really, I think, really thinking about either taking a break or maybe a step back so that we can regroup, refocus, and find the love of the game again. You know, in those times, we got a little bit of help from past coaches that have helped me.”
“After Wimbledon, I would say, like, we were thinking about not playing Washington, but again, I love tennis, I love competing so much, that it was, like, there’s no way I’m going to miss out on this beautiful tournament. We just went back to training, and we just started from basics.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
]]>The eighth- and 11th-ranked players on the ATP Tour, respectively, each sought their second straight Mubadala Citi DC Open semifinal appearance.
Shelton entered the fourth meeting between the talented young Americans with a 2-1 advantage, including a split of two thrilling U.S. Open matchups. The 22-year-old Shelton was utterly dominant in his first two matches of the tournament, punishing opponents with blistering serves and thunderous ground strokes. Meanwhile, Tiafoe grinded out a three-set win over Aleksandar Kovacevic in his first match and controlled his Round of 16 victory against Flavio Cobolli with a consistent performance.
Friday night’s quarterfinal was the toughest and most grueling matchup for both players, which was to be expected given their history. In a neck-and-neck battle throughout, Shelton elevated his game in the most critical moments.
The two-time Grand Slam semifinalist rattled off six straight points to win the first-set tiebreak and earned a critical break midway through the second set, which proved to be the difference in the 7-6 (2), 6-4 win. The No. 4 seed Shelton will either face fellow American and top seed Taylor Fritz or the No. 12 seed, Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, in the semifinals Saturday night.
“I think obviously this court does a lot for my serve,” Shelton said. “The ability to get the ball out of the zone is huge, especially against a guy like Foe who is so good in the pocket. So, my ability for my flat serves not only to be coming in at 145 [mph] but also rising above his shoulders is huge. Second serve, too. He’s one of the best in the world when he’s locked in, attacking second serves and making you feel like you’re on the back foot, taking a second serve and coming to the net.”
Tiafoe executed several strong returns at 5-5 in the first set, orchestrating the first break of the match. However, Shelton answered right back to force the tiebreak and quickly gained momentum. Shelton acknowledged that he’s a much better returner in the games after he’s broken, and that showed up in Friday’s quarterfinal.
Facing a 2-1 deficit in the tiebreak, Shelton ripped a scorching 143 mph serve that Tiafoe was unable to handle. He followed that up on the next point with an emphatic forehand winner to regain the lead, and he never looked back.
“Yeah, just passive, man,” Tiafoe, a two-time semifinalist at the U.S. Open, said of his performance. “Missed a backhand cross at 6-5, 30-all that I just never miss. A long point, but still I’m on the defense in that rally, and he hit a quality shot, played a great breaker.
“Look, he’s a top player; I’m a top player. The window of opportunity is very small. I didn’t take it.”
While Tiafoe’s first-serve rate outpaced Shelton’s in the first set, 63% to 56%, he didn’t pack the same firepower after that. Tiafoe made just 46% of his first serves in the second set, which put his back against the wall. Shelton was aggressive throughout and frequently attacked Tiafoe’s second serve.
As a result, he faced seven break points in the second set, including several in a game at 3-3 that featured five deuce points. Tiafoe double faulted to give Shelton the break and all the separation he needed.
Conversely, Shelton’s serve was firing on all cylinders in the second set. Widely regarded as one of the best servers on tour, Shelton won 100% of his first-serve points and 73% on his second in that deciding set, a stark contrast from Tiafoe, who won just 40% of his second-serve points.
“I just continued playing,” Shelton said. “You know, I got some second-serve looks on his game points, which I played freely and aggressive and was able to capitalize. And then, you know, I played the deuce points well, but I was just trying to stay there, stay steady.
“Obviously, he’s feeling the pressure. His back’s against the wall, and I know how well I’m returning and playing in that moment. So, you know how much pressure you’re putting on a guy when they have to save, you know, five or six break points and you’re making every return, and they’ve got to come up with the goods over and over, because I feel the same thing against him a lot.”
For Tiafoe, a Hyattsville native and product of the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, there’s lingering disappointment of once again not fulfilling the ultimate goal of winning his hometown tournament in his ninth appearance. For Shelton, it’s a quick turnaround before Saturday night’s match and an opportunity to move one step closer to his first singles final in Washington and third ATP title.
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
]]>Roddick’s U.S. Open championship was the second straight by an American after Pete Sampras won the 2002 U.S. Open and came just months after Andre Agassi’s 2003 Australian Open title. However, in the 86 Grand Slam events since Roddick’s victory, no other American man has reached the mountaintop and won either the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon or U.S. Open.
Over that stretch, just six Americans have appeared in a Grand Slam final with a 15-year gap between Roddick’s 2009 Wimbledon final run and the most recent, Taylor Fritz’s 2024 U.S. Open runner-up finish.
A large contributing factor to that was the sheer dominance of three of the sport’s greatest players of all-time in Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. That trio combined to capture 65 of the past 86 Grand Slam titles since Roddick’s win. While Nadal and Federer retired in recent years and the 38-year-old Djokovic is on the backend of his career, Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz have emerged as dominant forces. The top two players in the world have combined to win the past seven Grand Slam titles entering this year’s U.S. Open.
However, despite the prolonged drought and changing of the guard with new stars emerging, American men’s tennis is rapidly ascending with more players making deep runs at majors in recent years. Meanwhile, American women have been a staple in Grand Slam finals, spearheaded by 23-time major champion Serena Williams and seven-time champ Venus Williams and continued into the next generation of stars such as Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys. An American woman has played in each of the past four Grand Slam finals, with Keys and Gauff winning the Australian Open and French Open, respectively.
The men are looking to replicate that success.
“American tennis is in a great spot. And we have been knocking on the door for a while,” Tiafoe said. “I don’t think this is something new. Now you look at the slams, someone is going to be there at least pushing quarters, semifinals. Shout-out to the women. That’s something we are trying to push and catch up to them. They have been doing a spectacular job. All those individuals have been able to be in the second Saturday. It’s a huge, huge deal. Monumental moment, whether they held the trophy or not.”
Fritz and Ben Shelton are each two-time Grand Slam semifinalists, Frances Tiafoe is a two-time U.S. Open semifinalist and Tommy Paul also made it to the final four at the 2023 Australian Open.
“I think the success in American tennis is evident right now, and there’s a lot of names doing great things in tournaments,” Shelton said. “Seems to be, like, different people all the time. If you look at the last, you know, six slams, it’s been a combination of guys who have been in the quarters or semis or made a deep run, whether it’s me and Fritz or Tommy and Foe or Fritz and Tommy or Foe and Fritz.”
All seven of their combined semifinal appearances have come within the past four years, and each of them are ranked inside the top 15 of the Association of Tennis Professionals’ most recent rankings. Fritz, No. 4 in the world, is the highest-ranked American man since Roddick was fifth for several months in 2009. Meanwhile, Shelton continues to climb with a career-high ranking of eighth, with 11th-ranked Tiafoe and 15th-ranked Paul not far behind.
“I think as far as it goes, we’d say our group’s doing well,” Fritz said. “But it’s been a really just steady growth. We have had this great group of guys I have known since we were 14, 15 years old, and it’s been great to do this whole thing with them and kind of climb up and come up with them.”
There are several factors that have contributed to that development in the past decade-plus, according to Kent Kinnear, the United States Tennis Association’s Head of Men’s Tennis. Kinnear gave immense credit to former USTA Director of Coaching José Higueras, whose coaching framework and emphasis on a strong culture is still being utilized today. Higueras has a background coaching several top players, including former Grand Slam champions Sampras, Federer, Jim Courier and Michael Chang.
Kinnear also cited the USTA’s in-depth camp structure, which is bringing in kids at a young age and working in tandem with their individual coaches to maximize progress and results. That growth is evident not just with the highest-ranked American men, but the collective development of the group.
Ten years ago, there were just seven Americans ranked in the ATP top 100, including just three in the top 35. Now there are 13 inside the top 100, including seven in the top 35 with Brandon Nakashima (No. 32), Sebastian Korda (No. 33) and Alex Michelsen (No. 34) also among that group.
Within that, there are several mini generations. Paul (age 28), Fritz (27), Tiafoe (27) are the “elder statesmen” of the group, while Shelton, Nakashima, Korda, Michelsen and Aleksandar Kovacevic are all 26 or younger. Nineteen-year-old Learner Tien (ranked 67th) and 21-year-old Ethan Quinn (ranked 91st) are other young players emblematic of that wide-spread growth.
“When you talk about Taylor, Frances, Tommy and then Reilly Opelka, you got four guys, there was one year where three of them won junior slams in the same year,” Kinnear said. “They’ve been pushing each other.
“I think as one of them would pop through, the others knew they should be there with them. Hopefully we’ll keep pushing even higher for those guys and even with the next generation of players coming up. Those guys have trailblazed a really nice pathway.”
Healthy competitiveness and strong camaraderie are also fueling that development. Many of today’s top players serve as inspiration for the next generation at the junior level and below. Shelton, and fellow Americans Mackenzie McDonald and Jenson Brooksby train with the USTA in Orlando, Florida, and have built relationships with many of their junior players.
“For me, I think inspiring younger people is the coolest part that we have in this sport,” Shelton said. “Yes, it’s very cool to have fans that are adults and people who have watched the sport for forever and appreciate the game of tennis, love you, but for me it’s like little kids, younger kids, people get inspired. I love the young group of American kids that we have.”
Shelton, a Florida native who trains at the USTA National Campus in the Lake Nona region of Orlando, said that he sees younger players all the time in dorms, on the practice courts or in the locker room. He values those relationships.
“I become friends with those guys,” he said. “It’s not a one-time pump-up speech. I text with them. I know them.”
Kinnear vividly recalled two of those inspirational moments at this year’s French Open with Shelton and Tiafoe. Both players took time and sought out the Junior French Open participants, firing them up and offering encouragement. Fritz and Paul do much of the same as Fritz trains in Southern California with Michelsen and Tien.
That core group is empowering the next generation, and starting with this week’s Mubadala Citi DC Open, the American men will look to maintain their collective momentum heading into the U.S. Open in New York.
Several Americans are in the DC Open quarterfinals, including a juicy matchup between Tiafoe and Shelton on Friday night at the main stadium court at Rock Creek Tennis Center. Fritz (vs. No. 12 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain) and Nakashima (vs. No. 7 Alex de Minaur of Australia) are also in contention.
“Just watching Taylor at Wimbledon in the semifinals against Alcaraz and having a couple set points to get into a fifth set, watching Ben obviously playing a tough Sinner in the quarters, seeing those guys continue to get better and get closer, I’m really hopeful,” Kinnear said. “That will be a great day if and when that happens. I’m certainly optimistic that it will, but it won’t be easy. [Winning the U.S. Open] would make it incredibly special. Obviously, any of the Grand Slams would be special, but that would be incredible.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
]]>There was a palpable buzz and excitement each time she took the court for her four combined singles and doubles matches at Rock Creek Tennis Center. Williams played doubles alongside Washington native Hailey Baptiste, which drew substantial crowds, including Houston Rockets forward and Prince George’s County native Kevin Durant on Monday.
With her straight-sets win over fellow American Peyton Stearns on Tuesday evening, the 45-year-old Williams became the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova in 2004. On Thursday evening against Poland’s Magdalena Frech, the No. 5 seed and No. 24-ranked player in the world, Williams’ singles run came to an unceremonious end in the Round of 16 with a 6-2, 6-2 defeat.
Williams started out strong in her first two service games with powerful forehand winners. However, she was unable to sustain that momentum and struggled with unforced errors the rest of the way. Despite the loss, Williams showcased the powerful hitting and confidence that propelled her to No. 1 in the world and seven Grand Slam titles.
“I think this moment for me was so much anticipation,” Williams said. “It’s kind of hard to describe, because where I came from to be here is somewhere where I never thought I’d see myself in life. So then just to be here at all is really a blessing, and then to play well is just another blessing.”
Returning to play after a 16-month absence, Williams also accepted a wild-card invitation to play in the Cincinnati Open, which begins Aug. 5.
It’s hard to quantify the impact of Williams’ return for both players and fans. Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka described Williams as an inspiration and said that she — as well as younger sister Serena, a 23-time major champ — influenced so many players throughout her career.
When asked what’s most important to her about returning, Williams referenced the value and fortune of good health. Health concerns have been a constant challenge throughout her career, but Williams played four matches in four days this week and battled through hot and humid summer conditions in Washington.
“I’m so grateful,” Williams said. “I feel like I ran out of gas today, unfortunately. I tried to find the energy and I didn’t find it.
“Four matches in the first week is a lot. I love playing doubles. One of the reasons you don’t play is usually you’re just trying to save your energy, and plus it’s hot. When you’re doing the training and the warmup, you’re spending an extra hour sweating it out. I think without that doubles match, I don’t know if I could have played as well in the singles. I’m sorry to have fell short, but I know I can play better, and I know I will play better.”
While Williams’ game faltered as the match wore on, fan support never wavered. Throughout the second set fans chanted, “Here we go Venus, here we go!” as they attempted to will on the former champion and turn the tide of the match. Williams broke Frech for the first time late in the second set, but the 27-year-old remained composed and closed out the match soon after.
After shaking hands with Frech, Williams calmly walked over to her bench as she acknowledged the fans at the 7,500-seat main stadium and thanked them for their immense support. She did her signature twirl, then sat down and raised both arms as the crowd delivered another emphatic ovation.
While Williams’ run in Washington ended sooner than she hoped, one of the legends of the sport is back. The audience in Washington clearly recognized the value in that, and Williams should expect nothing less from the supporters in Cincinnati in the coming weeks.
“It’s going to be amazing, there’s so many learnings from here,” Williams said. “I know exactly what I need to work on, where I can improve. The good news is I’m always in control of the point. The important part is to put the ball in. So, this is one thing I didn’t do today. Was I in control? Absolutely. Will I be in control most of my matches? Most likely, yes. That’s the place I want to be, so I’m putting myself in that position. That’s what counts.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
]]>The two fan favorites are fueled by supportive crowds throughout the United States, culminating at the U.S. Open in late August-early September, the final grand slam of the year. With a stacked field featuring men’s five players ranked inside the top 10, they expect this week to offer valuable preparation for the upcoming grand slam, both in the intense competition level and passionate fan support.
The close friends are joining forces to play doubles at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. The eighth-and-11th-ranked players on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour, respectively, they begin play under the lights Monday night against Australia’s Matthew Ebden and John Peers.
“I think we should get a good crowd here, and we thought that would be a good place to play,” Shelton said Sunday. “Hopefully get a W and play a couple of matches, but even if it’s just one match, we will have a lot of fun out there. We will enjoy ourselves Monday night, get ourselves ready and in a good place for our singles matches, and I love playing doubles. I like the extra competition, especially if I’m playing with one of my boys who I like to be around, and obviously Foe is one of my best friends out here on tour.”
While the duo has played doubles together before at the Laver Cup each of the last two years, this year’s DC Open marks the first time they’ll be alongside one another in the U.S. It will be Shelton’s 12th doubles match of the 2025 season and Tiafoe’s fourth.
This marks Shelton’s third consecutive year in doubles at the DC Open, reaching the finals alongside fellow American Mackenzie McDonald in 2023. Meanwhile, Tiafoe has played doubles in Washington four times, twice reaching the semifinals, with fellow Junior Tennis Champions Center alumnae Denis Kudla in 2018 and Alex De Minaur in 2022.
The pairing started with a text message from Shelton to Tiafoe: “What do you think about dubs in D.C?” Tiafoe also joked that Shelton thinks he’s from Washington now, as Shelton’s girlfriend, Trinity Rodman, is a star forward for the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Although they play doubles sparingly together, it’s an opportunity both players and fans are excited about.
“No, I love him, and we have had incredible battles, became incredibly close the last few years,” Tiafoe said. “Our humor, mannerisms, very much the same. The crowd is going to go nuts. We just practiced just now. We couldn’t even get off the court. The crowd is going to go absolutely nuts. I’m super excited to get out there with him. We’re going to go for it and try pretty hard to try to win some matches out here, both singles and doubles. It’s going to be really fun.”
Both highly accomplished singles players in their own right, doubles present a unique opportunity in the differences from singles. Communication and court positioning are paramount, which can take time to develop. Playing doubles often helps in certain aspects, particularly volleying and returning.
For Shelton, this doubles opportunity will be important preparation for the U.S. Open. There, he’ll be teaming up with fellow American, Taylor Townsend, in mixed doubles. Townsend, who is the No. 2 doubles player on the Women’s Association Tour, is playing both doubles and singles in Washington as well.
Spectators of all ages packed the practice court Sunday to watch the two American phenoms hitting with one another. However, one particular passionate fan stood out among the rest outside of the practice courts on Monday: 52-year-old Marco Bevilacqua, of Baltimore.
Bevilacqua, initially from Italy, brought two large double-sided posters that caught the attention of players and fans. On one side of one poster was Tiafoe, with Gael Monfils on the other. The other poster was No. 7 Lorenzo Musetti with Nick Kyrgios on the back side. He received autographs from Tiafoe, Musetti and Kyrgios as several fans also stopped for photos.
Just hours ahead of Monday’s match, Bevilacqua knows that Tiafoe and Shelton will put on a show.
“It’s going to be fantastic,” Bevilacqua said. “They’re both phenomenal players. Come on, two Americans in the capital of the United States, ATP 500 Tournament, it’s going to be fantastic for everybody attending. It’s superb. The City of Washington did fantastic work in attracting a lot of the top players, with Ben and Frances being two of them.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
The tournament’s grounds at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center in Northwest Washington are merely a few miles from the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park where his tennis journey began. Tiafoe, a Hyattsville native, grew up training there while his father worked as a maintenance man.
He emerged as one of tennis’ brightest stars and remains proud of his DMV roots.
“Well, without the JTCC, I don’t have a career, quite literally. It’s an amazing place,” Tiafoe said Sunday. “We have cranked out a lot of players: myself, Hailey [Baptiste], Robin [Montgomery], Denis [Kudla]. From a small area that wasn’t tennis-known, so to speak. I think it’s an incredible club and only going to continue to do great things. Super happy about where I came from and where I started the game.”
After sneaking into the event as a child, Tiafoe is now set to play in his ninth DC Open. Among a star-studded field with five men’s players ranked inside the top 10, Tiafoe is the face of the tournament.
He’ll be wearing a Washington Commanders-inspired Lululemon kit throughout and described the experience as a “long homecoming” — appreciative of the immense fan support and reconnection with familiar tournament staff and volunteers.
“I love this area wholeheartedly, man. It’s shaped me into the person I am today,” Tiafoe said. “To be able to see what the tournament has been, to now be the face of the event, it’s incredible. It’s also amazing, helping, seeing more people of color want to watch the game, play the game, be around it, being more knowledgeable about it. We had a few guys before doing amazing things, Arthur Ashe, and kind of want to keep that going.”
The No. 6 seed and 11th-ranked player on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour, Tiafoe will face either France’s Quentin Halys (ranked 52nd) or the United States’ Aleksandar Kovacevic (ranked 76th) in his opening singles match. He’ll also be playing doubles alongside fellow American Ben Shelton, ranked eighth in the world, providing added excitement and energy for fans.
Tiafoe is 1-3 lifetime against Halys, with just one of those matchups on the hard court, and the most recent meeting coming in 2017. He is 2-0 against Kovacevic with both meetings on the hard court, including the first round of the 2024 U.S. Open.
The D.C. Open comes in the midst of a roller coaster 2025 campaign. He is 18-15 on the year, highlighted by his first quarterfinal appearance at the French Open. However, he suffered a second-round loss at Wimbledon just a few weeks later.
Despite that premature exit, the D.C. Open offers the comfort of home and marks the beginning of the lead up to the U.S. Open, the season’s final major. In Washington, Tiafoe will look to build on the momentum from last year’s strong performance when he reached the semifinals for the first time.
“I’m home, I’m comfortable,” Tiafoe said. “It’s hard court. It’s hot. Ball is jumping around. Ultimately, I know for me it’s like one last push, you go from here all the way through New York. And ultimately, I hate to say it, but it’s the tournaments I care about the most.”
It’s also the time of year in which Tiafoe, a crowd favorite and two-time U.S. Open semifinalist, perennially plays his best tennis.
“Obviously, like Wimbledon and French Open, all these tournaments are very big. Of course, I want to win, but here is just a different feeling. I try to replicate it. I can’t really. I come out here, it’s do or die. I have that mindset. That’s why I play great tennis. I want to show up, compete at the highest level. Again, I snuck into this event. I have no more motivation than to want to see my name on the stadium.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
Fittingly, the new church basketball court is also the birthplace of Wintarian Athletics — the multi-purpose gym where Davis is fulfilling his long-term aspiration and giving back to the local community in the process.
Wintarian Athletics currently offers basketball group training sessions Monday through Thursday and Saturday for elementary, middle and high school boys and girls of all levels. Beyond the two basketball courts and the weight room, Wintarian Athletics offers several other fitness opportunities including yoga and Zumba classes, plus soccer and volleyball rentals.
Davis is committed to further facilitating athlete growth across the board. He’s eager to bring on physical therapists and sports psychologists to assist young athletes in their physical and mental recovery before and after workouts.
“I never knew how close or far it was, but I definitely knew it was something I always wanted to do,” Davis said. “So, I wasn’t going to stop trying whether it happened 10 or 20 years later.”
A 2014 Marriotts Ridge graduate and Howard County Player of the Year as a senior, he went on to have an accomplished career at Johnson C. Smith University. After a year playing professionally in Portugal and Cyprus, Davis returned to the U.S. in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The church’s sports ministry previously offered basketball, softball and track for many years. However, in 2020, Davis and his dad launched the Celebration Church’s outdoor basketball league, which ran from July through October. They even built a new court for the inaugural season.
One of Davis’ first calls was to Jerard Rucker, who coached him in high school AAU on what is now known as Team Melo — one of the nation’s elite programs in the Nike EYBL Circuit. Rucker has trained several NBA players, including Baltimore native and Washington Wizards point guard Bub Carrington. One of the Baltimore area’s most highly respected basketball trainers, he spread awareness about the league.
What initially started out as a men’s league with 15 teams boomed in popularity and extended down to leagues for second and third graders. Social media helped drive that influx with a mix of private clubs, school and AAU teams participating.
While the league functioned as an extension of the ministry early on, Wintarian Athletics quickly blossomed and began establishing its own brand. Robert and his dad worked through the entire process together, including the name Wintarian.
Robbie coined the term and defined it as, “a human being who never gives up regardless of the circumstances of their lives.”
“COVID had shut down everything as far as organized sports were concerned inside and so we thought it was a great opportunity to be able to serve the community in an outdoor venue,” Robbie Davis said. “When I tell you it was explosive, it was absolutely explosive. Hundreds of kids and adults, teens from all over the DMV, men, women, boys, girls. It was powerful.”
The league’s participation dipped some in the following year with indoor gyms opening back up, but the younger Davis opened an indoor weightlifting facility in the church. In addition to basketball, several trainers brought their clients in for workouts, which only enhanced Wintarian’s presence.
The chance to open a gym became increasingly realistic and in October 2023, Davis connected with Marques Sneed through a mutual friend. At that time, Sneed was preparing to leave the facility where Wintarian Athletics now resides in Elkridge, looking to break out on his own.
Davis and Sneed ultimately decided to merge and start looking for a facility together, ideally a gym that combined the basketball, weight room and training element. After extensive conversations, the gym where Sneed previously worked checked all of those boxes and Wintarian Athletics opened at that facility in October 2024.
They understood the potential for early struggles when the gym first opened. However, between Davis’ extensive Howard County connections and Sneed’s training ties with his brand, 90/10 Fitness, Wintarian Athletics quickly built up its clientele. Sneed is from the Baltimore area, also a teacher and an assistant football coach at Meade, which helped attract more clients.
“I had no idea we were going to be moving this fast,” Sneed said. “Rob is the biggest key to that. He has a serious stronghold on Howard County with him being the county player of the year when he was in high school. Having the backing of the church, his connections with Coach Rucker, his connections with people that I’ve trained, and he’s trained alongside with. The glue to all of this is Rob.
“I’m from the Baltimore area, so a lot of my friends are coming up. Me having this connection with Anne Arundel County public schools, coaching and teaching has been great. We’re branching out to different parts of Anne Arundel County that we wouldn’t if we didn’t have that connection already. It’s surreal, I didn’t think that we would be this large, this fast.”
With Sneed already in the fold, Davis reached out to Rucker in October 2024, who at the time was the head basketball trainer at Coopermine Gym. He called to gauge Rucker’s interest in being the head basketball trainer at Wintarian Athletics.
Rucker accepted the offer after meeting with Davis and his dad.
“I knew with my passion for basketball; I wanted to be somewhere where basketball was one of the main focal points,” Rucker said. “It was two-part because I really wanted to transition to a location like this, and he wanted me, because he knows how passionate I am about basketball. He knows my pedigree and work ethic. It was really a win-win. It didn’t take a lot of selling.”
Rucker’s rich basketball cache and coaching acumen are bringing some of the area’s top talent to the gym. The 17U Team Melo group that he coaches features several elite talents, including 6-foot-9 forward Chase Foster, the No. 42 overall recruit in ESPN’s top 100 for the Class of 2026. They practice at Wintarian Athletics once a week.
Meanwhile, in their offseason, former Baltimore-area stars like Darryl Morsell, De’Vondre Perry, Rucker’s son Jalen and Jordan Brathwaite come to train. Morsell and Perry have played overseas in multiple countries, while Jalen Rucker excelled at Army West Point and Brathwaite is a rising sophomore at Yale.
A former Howard County star in his own right, Davis is hopeful that the gym showcases the potential in and around the Howard County area. He has relationships with multiple Howard County coaches and several teams have trained in the facility.
While he wants to maximize every athlete’s gift, there’s an added drive and motivation to elevate Howard County’s basketball reputation.
“That’s my end goal anyway to be able to be in this community and be able to give back. To just give people an outlet,” Davis said. “I feel like this area is not really a basketball-centered area in terms of the level. People usually go to Mount Saint Joseph or Mount Carmel or St. Frances, to get better competition. This area does have a lot of talent. Guys like [Oakland Mills’] Greg Whittington and [River Hill’s] Charles Thomas IV are really good players that are from this area but they kind of go under the radar because they went to Howard County schools.”
Business, as in athletics, requires extensive time and effort. Davis is well aware of that sacrifice, often in the gym 13 to 14 hours on weekdays.
Despite those long days, he is doing what he loves most: helping young athletes and serving as a positive role model like other coaches once did for him.
“He’s committed to it. This is very much a calling for Robert,” Robbie Davis said. “He’s a pretty steady personality and just keeps on doing what he feels called to do. There are highs and lows—and there have been since the beginning but at this point — he just has a steady presence in the community and people know who he is and what he represents. Wintarian Athletics is becoming its own thing that was birthed out of Celebration Church but now has its own identity in the community.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
]]>West thought he could be selected on Day 1 of the MLB draft, but he didn’t hear his name called in the opening three rounds and 105 selections.
However, early Monday morning at around 12:30 a.m., West received a call from his agent that the Los Angeles Dodgers would be making him a fourth-round selection. The offer was roughly $600K over the $544,900 slot value for the 135th pick, according to a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations.
After extensive conversations with his agent and family, West decided to forgo his college commitment to North Carolina State and will be signing with the Dodgers, the source said.
A few hours after the draft, West had a short conversation with NC State associate head coach Chris Hart. He thanked Hart and the staff for their unwavering support since his commitment as a high school freshman, and they wished him the best of luck moving forward.
“I talked to my family about it and it was something that we thought that we weren’t going to pass up on,” West said. “It just makes it mean that much more. When you think of baseball, you think of the Dodgers. You think of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts. Going to a historic franchise like that, that just came off winning a World Series. Every kid dreams of being on a World Series-winning team, and what better organization to get started with than the Los Angeles Dodgers.”
Ahead of the draft’s second day, West looked at posters in his basement of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Those are two of the hardest working athletes West has ever watched — and also a reminder of the continued work needed to fulfill his MLB goal.
Throughout his draft journey, West’s success as a public school athlete was never lost on him and served as a great source of pride. That excitement boomed as Long Reach High School was displayed on MLB Network on Monday, as West became the first player in program history to be drafted.
Former Severna Park star and San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill knows that feeling well and told Aidan during their offseason conversations to “take pride in what you have and where you come from.” West did exactly that and even received a congratulatory text on Monday from Merrill, a potential future National League West rival.
Hundreds of texts and calls rolled in throughout Monday — ranging from those intimately involved in West’s draft process to opposing coaches, players and even Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.
However, two of the most special messages were from Jeremy Schwendeman and Juan Palacios. Schwendeman coached West’s Howard County Youth Program team from age 7 to 14 and is also best friends with West’s dad, Gavin. Meanwhile, Palacios has trained West since the shortstop’s sophomore year of high school, playing an integral part in his development.
“It’s definitely something that I’ve never been shy to say I worked hard for,” West said. “That and I always kept my faith in God. I feel like those two together just made an unbelievable connection to get where I’m at now. There are tons of sacrifices that I made to get here, not only me, but my parents, both teachers. I’ve been blessed with a great area to live in and a great community. All that put together, it’s a dream come true.”
West’s first exposure to the Dodgers was last August at the East Coast Pro showcase. He met with veteran area scout Paul Murphy and had an in-home visit with him. They maintained a connection in the offseason, with Murphy attending several Long Reach games and Dodgers director of amateur scouting Zachary Fitzpatrick also coming to watch West play this season.
West conducted a predraft workout for the team in Atlanta and excelled with several front-office personnel in attendance. Fittingly, the first Dodgers representative to call after West’s selection was Murphy. He mentioned that he “felt like a kid on Christmas” watching one of the players he scouted get selected so early.
As West moves into the next phase of his career, one word comes to mind: consistency. Specifically, constant improvement in all facets of his game.
Shortly after his selection, West went out to a Lids store at a local mall and purchased his first Dodgers hat as a member of the organization. Sporting that hat on his old high school field Tuesday, he said the moment still hasn’t fully sunk in.
The organization synonymous for some of baseball’s best and brightest names now welcomes a new surname to the fold: West.
“It’s definitely cool to be part of an organization where you can just walk into a Lids store and put on your team hat,” West said. “That’s a cool moment and it’s something that I know I’ll never take for granted. All the hard work comes to mind. I don’t know if I’ve stopped watching over the replay on my phone, that moment of hearing my call named in the fourth round. It’s a dream come true and I’m excited.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
]]>