Tennis, ATP – Citi Open 2025: Tiafoe knocks out Kovacevic

Frances Tiafoe became the final player to qualify for the last 16 in Washington, securing a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory late in the day against los Cabos runner-up Aleksandar Kovacevic. The sixth-seeded American, playing in his home tournament, dug deep in the final set to close out the match with an ace.

Top seed Taylor Fritz and fellow contenders Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur and Jiri Lehecka advanced also to the round of 16 at the Mubadala Citi DC Open on Wednesday, as seeded players largely held their ground amid a flurry of upsets, including the exits of Andrey Rublev and Alexei Popyrin.

Fritz, the tournament’s No. 1 seed, delivered a clinical performance against Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic, winning 6-3, 6-2. The American served 11 aces, faced only one break point and won three of his four opportunities.

Medvedev, seeded No. 8, recovered from a sluggish start to overcome Reilly Opelka 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. The former U.S. Open champion broke twice in the final set and dictated with precision from the baseline after adjusting to Opelka’s booming serve.

Rublev and Popyrin out

De Minaur, the seventh seed, held off a spirited effort from China’s Yunchaokete Bu in a tight first set before pulling away for a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win. Lehecka, seeded No. 11, battled past American qualifier Zachary Svajda 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in one of the day’s more closely contested matches.

But not all seeds survived the second round.

Learner Tien stunned No. 5 seed Rublev 7-5, 6-2 in one of the tournament’s biggest upsets so far after Musetti’s loss. Tien, who defeated Medvedev and Zverev at thne beginning of the season, broke Rublev four times and showed no signs of nerves in his first ATP 500 main-draw appearance.

Alexei Popyrin, the 10th seed, also fell, losing 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Yibing Wu, who hit 32 winners in a match that lasted just over two hours.

Other results saw Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi defeat 16th seed Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 7-5, while Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, seeded 12th, cruised past Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-2. Flavio Cobolli, 2024 runner-up, completed a straight-sets win over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, prevailing 6-2, 7-6 (3).

The round of 16 is set to feature a blend of top-tier talent and emerging threats, as the tournament heads toward its final stretch in the U.S. capital.