From Centre Court to Capital Heat

Love-Love Letter #18 | July 20-24

Your tennis cheat sheet — for fans who like the game, but don’t want to live on Tennis Twitter.

🌍 Where in the World Are We?

After closing out the grass season at Wimbledon a couple of weeks ago, we are officially in The North American summer hard court season with the Mubadala Citi Washington DC Open, a 500-level event, at the center of this week’s action. Both the men’s and women’s quarterfinals are today with the semis tomorrow and finals on Sunday. While the biggest names and biggest wins are stateside, there are also some 250-level events going across Europe (hello Czechia, Croatia, and Austria).

What’s happening: The weather in DC has been brutal - mid-90s with humidity that clings like a second shirt - so it’s been a sweaty, gritty start of the U.S. hard court swing. We've still seen packed stands, bold upsets (especially of top American women), more cramping than a high school track meet, and the incredibly surprisingly successful return of a tennis legend (more below).

✅ Results You Should Know

Learner Tien def. Andrey Rublev 7–5, 6–2 (Round of 32, July 23)
💡 Why it matters: Wildcard rookie Tien, just 19 years old, stunned the No. 5 seed Rublev in straight sets. It marks his fourth career win over a Top‑10 opponent - not bad for a teenager still getting used to the tour.

Alex de Minaur def. Jiří Lehečka 7–6(4), 6–7(6), 6–4 (Round of 16, July 24)
💡 Why it matters: In a marathon showdown, de Minaur’s precision and grit won out. He’s now through to the quarterfinals in DC and continuing to rack up ATP 500 wins like clockwork - exactly the form you want heading into August.

Cameron Norrie def. Lorenzo Musetti 3–6, 6–2, 6–3 (Round of 32, July 22)
💡 Why it matters: Norrie rallied from a set down to knock out the No. 2 seed, notching another big Top‑10 win just weeks after a strong run at Wimbledon. Hard courts or grass - it doesn’t seem to matter to the Brit.

Leylah Fernandez def. Jessica Pegula 6–3, 1–6, 7–5 (Round of 16, July 24)
💡 Why it matters: The Canadian upset No. 1 seed Pegula in a roller-coaster 2-hour, 19-minute match on Pegula’s best surface. After a first round exit at Wimbledon, Pegula seems to be struggling.

Maria Sakkari def. Emma Navarro 7–5, 7–6(1) (Round of 16, July 23)
💡 Why it matters: Add another American to the “DC didn’t go as planned” list. Sakkari, a former Washington finalist, knocked out the No. 2 seed in a tight two-setter. Good for Sakkari who hasn’t been in top form for a few years now.

Venus Williams def. Peyton Stearns 6–3, 6–4 (Round of 32, July 22)
💡 Why it matters: 45 years old. No matches since March 2024. Top-40 opponent. One thing is clear: the legend Venus Williams is not done. She became the oldest tour-level winner in over two decades, and she did it with vintage power, a massive crowd, and zero apologies. Her run ended in the next round - but this win? Worth the price of admission.

🔥 Can’t-Miss Highlights

🎥 Tien rises from underdog to giant‑killer
Watch the 19-year-old wildcard dismantles Rublev’s rhythm and deliver winner after winner.
▶️ Watch here

🎥 Venus, baby!
Watch Venus deliver some signature power, movement, returning, and shot making in her win against Stearns.
▶️ Watch here (start at 0:18s and watch for a few points)

🎥 Venus spills on the real season she’s back…
… something we can all relate to 😂
▶️ Watch here (start at 4:08) 

📆 What to Watch For

📺 How to Watch: Catch the Mubadala Citi DC Open live on Tennis Channel in the U.S., with streaming available via Tennis Channel Plus and participating cable providers. International viewers can check local listings or stream through WTA TV or ATP Tour’s official platforms.

Some amazing quarterfinal action happening today:

🎾 Ben Shelton vs. Frances Tiafoe (Quarterfinal, July 25): The top two Americans collide in a home-crowd showdown. Shelton brings booming serve-and-volley aggression; Tiafoe counters with crafty variation and fierce court awareness. Their H2H sits at 2‑1 in Shelton’s favor, but last year Tiafoe took that five‑set US Open thriller.

🎾Taylor Fritz vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Quarterfinal, July 25): The top seed and U.S. favorite versus Davidovich, who just knocked out underdog Tien. Fritz is riding a wave: stronger form since June and a Wimbledon semifinal. His powerful groundstrokes will meet silky creativity in Davidovich.

🎾Leylah Fernandez vs. Taylor Townsend (Quarterfinal, July 25): Two lefties, former “TayLah” doubles partners, and now singles adversaries in DC. Fernandez shocked the top seed Pegula and looks like the best version of herself since her slam final run. Townsend, Washington bred and bullet-serving her way through the draw, is in front of a home crowd.

📰 Off-Court Happenings

💍 Venus Williams Engaged!: At 45, Venus not only won her first singles match in 16 months at the DC Open—she also confirmed her engagement to actor Andrea Preti. After beating Peyton Stearns, she revealed her fiancé was courtside, calling him "a huge reason" she’s back competing. Venus is officially a power couple legend.

💔 US Open’s Mixed Doubles Shake-Up: 2025 ushers in a brand-new format for US Open mixed doubles: two-day Fan Week play before the main draw, shortened best‑of‑3 sets to 4 games (no-ad scoring), and a $1M prize purse. However, high-profile US teams like Raducanu/Alcaraz and Tsitsipas/Badosa have withdrawals stirring speculation about this new format’s success. Let’s see what happens.

👗 An Outfit Worth Seeing

Tiafoe’s Hometown Flex

• The Look: Frances Tiafoe showed up in DC wearing a bright yellow-and-red kit inspired by the Washington Commanders - head-to-toe team colors, no subtlety in sight.

• Why It Stands Out: Most players dress for performance. Tiafoe dressed for the crowd. The outfit lit up the court (and Tennis Twitter), sparked plenty of ribbing - including from Taylor Townsend, who said he looked like Ronald McDonald - and fully embraced the “hometown hero” vibe.

• Vibe Check: Loud, proud, and impossible to ignore. Just like Frances.