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This content was machine-translated from the French version.
The third day of the Mubadala DC Open delivered its share of confirmations and surprises this Wednesday in Washington. On the hard courts of the FitzGerald Tennis Center, the top seeds held their rank while the young guard shook up the established hierarchies.
De Minaur launches his defense without flinching
The Australian defending champion, top seed, dispatched his second-round match against qualifier Cruz Hewitt in two authoritative sets.
Alex De Minaur made no fuss in his opening match. The Australian defending champion, top seed, dispatched his second-round match against qualifier Cruz Hewitt in two authoritative sets. Aggressive on return and unyielding behind his first serve, De Minaur reminded everyone why he has been ranked fifth in the world since July. His court coverage and ability to counter from wide positions stifled his opponent's offensive intentions.
Taylor Fritz, meanwhile, confirmed his status as the second seed. The American got past Brandon Nakashima in an all-Californian duel where his forehand power made the difference in key moments. Fritz is aiming for a second title in Washington after 2023, and his start to the week suggests it will take a strong effort to dislodge him.
Lorenzo Musetti also cleared the second-round hurdle without trouble. The Italian, a finalist at Wimbledon this summer, showcased his varied game against Terence Atmane. His sliced backhand and drop shots regularly caught the Frenchman off guard, despite the latter's honorable resistance in the first set.
Jodar eliminates Nishikori, the new wave strikes hard
The sensation of the day goes by a name that is starting to carry weight: Rafael Jodar. The 19-year-old Spaniard, from the NextGen pipeline, dominated Kei Nishikori in two sets (6-3, 6-4). The former world number four from Japan, who won the tournament in 2015, never found an answer to the pace imposed by the young Spaniard.
Jodar, who had already made waves in qualifying, confirms he is not in Washington just to make up the numbers. His first serve carried significant weight—78% of points won behind it—and his down-the-line forehand repeatedly damaged Nishikori's one-handed backhand. The 36-year-old Japanese player, hampered by injuries in recent seasons, did not lack merit but ran into a wall of youth.
Mannarino stops in the second round
Adrian Mannarino will not see the round of 16. The 38-year-old French veteran, who beat Learner Tien in the first round, came up against another American, Alex Michelsen. In a scrappy match, Mannarino paid for his lack of consistency on serve (five double faults) and too intermittent success on return. Michelsen, 20, managed to raise his level in the decisive moments to seal a two-set victory.
Mannarino's run remains encouraging ahead of the US Open: the left-hander from the Paris region seems to have found his rhythm again after a tricky spring on clay.
Pegula and Kalinskaya headline on the WTA side
In the women's draw, Jessica Pegula made her entrance against Magdalena Frech. The American, top seed of the WTA 500, had the home crowd's favor. Anna Kalinskaya, meanwhile, faced Janice Tjen in a second-round match that promised a clash of styles between Russian power and Indonesian mobility.
The WTA draw remains open: after Leylah Fernandez's surprise elimination by Alexandra Eala the day before, the favorites know that no round is won in advance on Washington's hard courts. The rest of the schedule includes the entry of the surviving seeds, with a highly anticipated duel between Ben Shelton and a surprise qualifier in the round of 16.
The tournament continues until Sunday. Until then, De Minaur and Fritz remain the two men to beat, but Jodar has warned: the next generation has no intention of waiting its turn.