Washington : Rune withdraws, Musetti stunned by Norrie as Shelton moves on

Holger Rune withdrew from his opening match at the Citi Open due to persistent back issues, while the lower half of the draw opened up further following Lorenzo Musetti’s early exit

23 July 2025

Cameron Norrie, Washington 2025 | © Zuma / PsNewz

Cédric Rouquette

Mubadala Citi DC Open •Third round • Completed

See draw

A. MullervsC. Moutet

The ATP 500 Citi Open in Washington saw its top seeds fall early on Tuesday, with third seed Holger Rune withdrawing due to a back injury and second seed Lorenzo Musetti suffering a three-set loss to Britain’s Cameron Norrie. American Ben Shelton and French lucky loser Corentin Moutet were among the players advancing to the second round.

Rune, who had been scheduled to open his campaign against French qualifier Alexandre Müller, pulled out before the match citing ongoing back discomfort. The Danish world No. 13, who was defeated in the first round at Wimbledon, will not enjoy the benefits of his three-day work session with the legendary Andre Agassi.

“Super unlucky,” Rune wrote on social media. “Yesterday in practice my back locked and I am not fit to play today. I tried it before and nothing dramatic, just super bad timing, as I looked very much forward to play tonight in Washington. See you all soon.”

He was replaced in the draw by Frenchman Corentin Moutet, who entered as a lucky loser and needed just 65 minutes to dispatch Müller 6-0, 6-1. Moutet, ranked 59, broke serve five times and dropped only 14 points on his own delivery. He converted three break points on four in the first set and extended his lead quickly in the second as Müller struggled with consistency from the baseline.

Musetti’s second loss since Roland-Garros

In the day’s highest-profile upset, Norrie came from a set down to defeat Musetti 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. The Italian had looked comfortable early, mixing in heavy topspin and drop shots to take the opening set. But Norrie adjusted in the second, stepping inside the baseline to dictate play and force errors off the Musetti forehand.

The 22-year-old has now lost his two matches played since retiring at Roland-Garros in May.

Shelton, seeded fourth, delivered a composed performance in his opener, defeating fellow American Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-4. The left-hander hit 9 aces and faced no break point in a controlled display that saw him dominate on serve and punish short balls off the forehand wing.

Shelton has shown improved consistency on hard courts in 2025 and appears well-positioned to make a deep run in Washington with both Rune and Musetti now out of his section.

Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi produced one of the day’s most dramatic comebacks, saving four match points to defeat Daniel Altmaier 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(2). The 23-year-old Italian trailed 2-5 in the third set and was down 0-40 on serve at 3-5 before reeling off a series of aggressive returns and well-timed drop shots to force a deciding tiebreak.

In other first-round action, Americans Ethan Quinn, Daniel Evans, and Learner Tien all secured victories, as did Canada’s Gabriel Diallo.

Second-round action continues Wednesday, with top seed Taylor Fritz set to begin his campaign.