2019 ATP Citi Open: Tsitsipas Favored to Win Title

• Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, ranked #6 in the world, is favored to win the Citi Open title
• Former tournament champs Milos Raonic (2104) is also entered
• World No. 5 Alexander Zverev, who’s won the past two men’s singles titles at the Citi Open, is not entered in this year’s event

The Citi Open is often viewed as the beginning of the trail toward the US Open. The Washington, DC-based event is played a hard-court surface similar to the one on which the players will contest the final Grand Slam event of the year in Flushing Meadows, NY.

World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas is the top-ranked player entered here and he’s been made the betting favorite. He’s 17-7 on hard courts this year. Tsitspias reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, lost to Roger Federer in the final at Dubai and won the title at Marseille.

2019 Citi Open Men’s Singles Odds

*Odds taken on 07/29/19

American John Isner lost 6-4, 4-6, 4-6 to Kei Nishikori in the 2015 Citi Open final. It was Isner’s third appearance in the final of this tournament, and he’s lost all three of them.

Isner is also entered in this year’s event.

Milos Goes for #2

Canada’s Milos Raonic is the only past champion entered in this year’s Citi Open.

In 2014, Raonic stopped Vasek Pospisil 6-1, 6-4 in an all-Canadian men’s singles final.

Gael Monfils was another late dropout. The Frenchman defeated Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic 5–7, 7–6(8-6), 6–4 in the 2016 final.

Isner (2007, 2013, 2015), is among four losing finalists back for another go. The others include Australia’s Alex de Minaur (2018), Kevin Anderson (2017) and Karlovic. Along with his 2016 title, Monfils lost in the 2011 final.

Alex Passes On Three-Peat Opportunity

Alexander Zverev evidently decided that he also couldn’t go where Andre Agassi, Michael Chang and Juan Martin del Potro did not.

Zverev, the 2017-18 Citi Open champion, didn’t enter this year’s event.

Along with Agassi, Chang and del Potro, they’re the four men who’ve won back-to-back singles titles at the Citi Open. In fact, Agassi did it twice – in 1995-96 and 1998-99. But no one has ever taken the title three years in succession.

Zverev, who played in last week’s clay-court Hamburg European Open, is embroiled in a legal dispute with former agent Patricio Apey. He’s also been critical of his coach, Czech tennis legend Ivan Lendl.

Zverev complains that Lendl spends too much time talking about his golf game instead of focusing on Zverev’s tennis game.

World #7 Kei Nishikori was also a last-minute scratch from the event. He won the Citi Open title in 2015, beating Isner in the final.

Is There a Citi Open-US Open Correlation?

No, not really.

While this may be the beginning of the hard-court road to Flushing Meadows, winners here generally veer off on a detour en route to the US Open.

Anderson was a finalist here and at the US Open in 2017. Monfils, the 2016 Citi Open winner, reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows the same year. Del Potro, in 2009, was the last player to turn the Citi Open-US Open double.

In other words, if you’re looking in search of betting trends that might impact your US Open future book wager, look away from those who do well at the Citi Open.

Where’s the Smart Money Play?

Isner’s luck in Washington has gone south since his 2015 final appearance. Last year as the #2 seed he fell in the second round. A knee injury was cause of his withdrawal in 2017. Isner was a quarterfinal loser in 2016.

Medvedev is another who excels on the hard courts. The world No. 9 is 17-6 this season and over the past two years, has won four titles on hard courts. Anderson is a hard-court specialist. He’s 8-2 on the surface in 2019. All six of his wins are on hard courts, three of those wins coming in the past two years.

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 https://t.co/bbNJEyMfF2

— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) July 15, 2019

All eight of Raonic’s career tournament wins are on hard courts. Likewise, #2 seed Karen Khachanov has won all four of his events on hard surfaces, three titles coming last season. But he’s just 7-7 on hard courts in 2019.

Pick: Daniil Medvedev (+900)