Mubadala Citi DC Open the latest milestone on tennis calendar

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