DC Open: More American men suffer upset losses; young stars emerge

WASHINGTON — The second day of the Mubadala DC Open featured a star-studded lineup, highlighted by upsets and young players making their mark in the nation’s capital.

After Frances Tiafoe’s run in Washington came to a stunning end at the hands of Terence Atmane in the opening round Monday night, fellow Americans Learner Tien and Tommy Paul faced the same fate on Tuesday. Tien, the fifth seed and ranked a career-best No. 16, fell in straight sets, 5-7, 6-4, to 38-year-old left-hander Adrian Mannarino from France (No. 47).

The 20-year-old reached the Round of 16 in Washington in 2025, highlighted by a win over Andrey Rublev, but struggled on his second serve Tuesday as Mannarino won 73% of his second serve points, compared with just 38% for Tien. Mannarino will face Alex Michelsen on Wednesday night, who defeated fellow American Mackenzie McDonald, 6-4, 7-5.

Meanwhile, Paul, making his return to Washington for the first time since 2022, fell to Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak, 5-7, 6-7 (4). Majchrzak will face third-seeded Taylor Fritz in the second round.

One of the day’s most highly awaited matchups pitted 22-year-old Frenchman Arthur Fils against 19-year-old Rafael Jodar from Spain, the only men’s or women’s match of the day featuring a pair of top 25 players. The 24th-ranked Jodar defeated the eighth seed and World No. 22 Fils, 7-6(5), 6-3, his first win over Fils in their second meeting.

Jodar broke Fils three times, including twice in the second set, and will take on Kei Nishikori on Wednesday night in the main stadium.

Alex Eala begins DC Open with a win

Alex Eala of the Philippines has quickly become one of the tour’s most popular players, rapidly ascending to No. 28 in the world. Coming off a strong grass court season in which the 21-year-old became the first Filipino player to reach the second week of a grand slam at Wimbledon, tournament Chair Mark Ein explained that over the past month, roughly 80% of ticket requests have asked when Eala is playing.

Tuesday afternoon, she made her long-awaited DC Open debut against 2024 Olympic Gold Medalist Qinwen Zheng. Eala dropped the first set but rallied for a resilient 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win in just under 2 1/2 hours and will face 2025 DC Open Champion and seventh seed Leylah Fernandez on Thursday at a time to be announced. The young Eala was opportunistic throughout the match and converted six of eight break point opportunities.

“I think it was a great atmosphere out there,” Eala said. “This is my first time competing in D.C. I knew there was a Filipino community. Most of these places I’m not really sure what to expect at this point, but I was pleasantly surprised. I think there was a great atmosphere on court today, very electric.”

Cruz Hewitt notches first ATP win

Australian Cruz Hewitt, 17, is no stranger to Washington and the DC Open. Cruz’s dad, Lleyton, won the DC Open in 2004, and Cruz recalled vivid memories of accompanying his dad to the tournament as a young child, making him protein shakes and hanging out in the locker room.

However, this year, coming off a Wimbledon junior runner-up finish, Hewitt made his playing debut in the nation’s capital. After advancing through qualifying as two of his opponents retired, Hewitt, ranked 612th, faced 85th-ranked Marcos Giron.

“Before I went out today, his main advice was just to enjoy it, enjoy the opportunity I had,” Hewitt said of his dad. “Then obviously when I enjoy it, I think I bring my best game when I’m having fun, as well.”

Hewitt was flawless on serve and didn’t face a break point in a 6-3, 6-4 win, his first on the ATP Tour. He became the youngest player to win a match in Washington since Kei Nishikori, who did so in 2007. He awaits the winner of the top-seed clash between fellow Australian Alex de Minaur, whom he’s known most of his life, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, which would be his first career meeting against either player.

“It’s pretty surreal to win here,” Hewitt said. “Obviously I saw my dad play here. I came to his last tournament. There are so many memories of that. To get around the line and make it to round 2, it’s very special.”

Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.

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