WASHINGTON (May 18, 2017) — The Citi Open® Tennis Tournament will once again hold its Wild Card Challenge — an opportunity for players in the Mid-Atlantic region to win a coveted spot in the tournament’s qualifying rounds.
The Citi Open Wild Card Challenge will be hosted at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center, home of the Citi Open, on June 17-20, 2017. Monumental Sports Network, a first-of-its-kind direct-to-fan digital sports platform, will exclusively broadcast the Challenge semifinal and final rounds live on June 20, with on-demand viewing of those matches available all summer long. Fans interested in access to the Challenge can find out more information, as well as sign up for a free 3-month trial, by visiting www.monumentalsportsnetwork.com/challenge.
Taylor Townsend (Photo: Chris Levy @Tennis_Shots)
“We’re delighted to partner with the Citi Open for live coverage of the 2017 Wild Card Challenge,” said Monumental Sports Network Vice President and General Manager, Zach Leonsis. “Whether it is in the professional or amateur arena, we are proud to support the immensely talented athletes in and from our own backyard.”
JMDP
The Challenge is a fully sanctioned USTA/Mid-Atlantic Adult event, but participants do not need to be a USTA member to register. The entry fee is $70.38. The winner of the men and women singles competition will receive a wild card into the singles qualifying competition of the 2017 Citi Open Tennis Tournament, to be held July 29-30, as well as two box seats to the Citi Open Finals on August 6. For more information and to register, go to www.citiopentennis.com.
Winning the Wild Card Challenge would grant champions the opportunity to compete for a spot in the tournament roster with some of the world’s best players including three-time tournament titleholder Juan Martin Del Potro, defending champion Gael Monfils, ATP World Tour No. 7 Dominic Thiem, tournament finalist John Isner, and Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig.
In order to qualify, all participants must be at least 14 years of age and maintain a current residence address in the Mid-Atlantic region (DC, Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia). In addition, all participants must have resided in the Mid-Atlantic region for five consecutive months before the start of the event.
“We’re so excited to bring back the Wild Card Challenge this year to give local tennis players an opportunity to play in this world-class event and be seen on this incredible new digital sports platform, Monumental Sports Network,” said Keely O’Brien, Citi Open Tournament Director. “We want our local players to have the home court advantage — to have friends and family cheer them on while they earn their spot in the tournament.”
Providing fans of regional and national sports alike with live games and original programming, subscribers of the Monumental Sports Network will be able to view the Challenge semifinal and final rounds through the Network’s website and app (available on iOS, Android, Roku, FireTV, Apple TV, Xbox, and Windows).
Celebrating its 49th edition this summer, the Citi Open Tennis Tournament is one of only 13 elite ATP World Tour 500-level events worldwide and the only one held in the United States. The tournament represents a WTA International event and having both ATP and WTA players provides fans the opportunity to watch simultaneous competitions of both world-class men’s and women’s tennis throughout the nine-day event. It is one of only five U.S. tournaments that include both men’s and women’s fields. Main draw matches of the tournament will be broadcast starting Monday, July 31, on Tennis Channel.
—S. Pegarido, Citi Open
Tennis Atlantic 