Citi Open Washington DC: Preview and players to watch out for

Now that the European clay court and grass court seasons have come to an end, the focus of the tennis world shifts to the hard courts of North America as preparation for the US Open gets underway with the ATP 500 series tournament in Washington DC. This tournament will act as a perfect warm-up for the players heading into the two Masters series tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati followed by the final slam of the year at Flushing Meadows.

Here is a preview of the draw for the coming week:

1^st quarter:

After a semifinal showing at SW19, Juan Martin Del Potro would aim to replicate his form from 2009 to win at Flushing Meadows. To win in Washington though, Del Potro could have to overcome some tough opponents en route to the business end of the tournament. Del Potro could face a stern opponent in the 2^nd round in the form of former world number 1 Lleyton Hewitt, who has had a decent run so far in the American hard court tournaments. If he overcomes this challenge, the Argentine could be up against another Australian Bernard Tomic in the round of 16. The Tower of Tandil could have a match up against 7^th seed Kevin Anderson in the quarters. Apart from the South African, also lurking in the draw is dangerous Frenchman Julien Benneteau, who has had his fair share of upsets in the past. Though a difficult draw for the Argentinian it would act as ideal preparation for the tournaments to come.

Player to watch out for : Juan Martin Del Potro

2^nd quarter:

Canadian number one Milos Raonic dominates this quarter of the draw, but will have his work cut out if he wants to progress through to the latter stages of the tournament. A possible pre-quarterfinal encounter against Nikolay Davydenko awaits the big serving Canadian. With former top 10 player James Blake also in the portion of the draw, Raonic could find it tough to progress through to the quarters. Number 5 seed Gilles Simon could be a possible quarterfinal match up for Raonic. Gilles Simon could have some tough encounters of his own in the form of Feliciano Lopez or Radek Stepanek. If both Simon and Raonic are able to cross the hurdles in their path, the quarterfinal encounter would be a match to watch out for in the tournament.

Player to watch out for : Gilles Simon

3^rd quarter

3^rd seeded German Tommy Haas has had an extraordinary year so far which has ensured his return to the top tier of tennis players in the world. Despite a quarterfinal loss to eventual winner Fabio Fognini in Hamburg, the 35 year old German would be confident of reproducing his success on hard courts from earlier this year. A possible round of 16 clash with rising Croat Ivan Dodig awaits the German. If he gets through, Haas could be up against either of Grigor Dimitrov or Sam Querrey in the quarterfinal. Dimitrov has not had the year that was expected from him after knocking out Djokovic in Madrid and giving Rafa a run for his money in Monte Carlo. “Baby Federer” would have to pull up his socks if he wants to rise in the rankings. Meanwhile Sam Querrey has slowly meandered to the top notch of players and would want to win his first title of 2013 in Washington.

Player to watch out for : Grigor Dimitrov

4^th quarter:

Highest ranked Asian, Kei Nishikori would want to let go of the disappointment of losing out at Wimbledon, as he aims to win another ATP 500 event in Washington. Nishikori has had an up-down year so far, winning in Memphis but failing to make a mark in the clay court season. Nishikori has a rather easy draw in the tournament with his first major opponent being Cypriat Marcos Baghdatis in the pre-quarterfinals. The Japanese number 1 could have a possible quarterfinal against Newport semifinalist John Isner or Ukranian Alexander Dolgopolov. A possible semi against Giles Simon or Milos Raonic awaits the 2nd seed. All in all, if Nishikori plays to his full potential he should be able to reach the semis of the tournament.

Player to watch out for : Kei Nishikori